Newcastle upon Tyne, 1975, photo by Chris Killip.

Lovely to meet siblings Ray and Moira, and their friend Keith, yesterday. Horden's regeneration plan means their childhood home would be demolished and replaced with new housing they couldn't afford. They support regeneration, but not at the cost of the house they've lived in for 60 years.

Cottages By A Lake, Achill, west of Ireland, painting by Paul Henry (1876-1958), Belfast-born artist.

Hello beautiful Bluesky readers and writers! If I may, I'd like to introduce my new brilliant book THEM GIRLS - A novel about sisterhood, 90s pop culture and the corruption of power, published 9th April 2026 by @simonschusteruk

Now available on Netgalley and to preorder

Love Eva 🧡

A view of green hills with a dramatic cloudy sky and bright light shining on more hills in the distance

Congratulations to @louisepowell.bsky.social, whose debut literary fiction novel Underdogs will be published by JM Originals in July 2026.

Louise was the recipient of a free Agent One-to-One session and you can find out more about these sessions by following the link in our bio.

Thank you very much for the kind words & once more for the free Agent One-to-One session. It was such an important part of my path towards publication :)

Thank you, Kayla; that's very kind of you.

Great culture can save lives. Literally.

Amazing letter in today’s @thetimes.com about Tom Stoppard

Thank you, Marie! ☺️

A pink and white background with black text: I'd just gone ten year auld the day that I met Bertie. Well, I say 'day', but it was half five in the mornin and it was Januree, so really it was night. Underdogs Louise Powell July 2nd 2026

For 6+ years, I’ve been working on a novel called UNDERDOGS. It's about a father, a son & the gamble of their lives.
I’m delighted to say that UNDERDOGS will be published by JM Originals @johnmurrays.bsky.social on 2 July 2026!
You can read the opening on p. 33:
www.hachette.co.uk/wp-content/u...

Thank you for the good wishes - that's very kind of you :)

Spending the Bank Holiday as I've spent the past week or so: paying very close attention to the fine details of a project that means a lot to me, & feeling very grateful towards all those who are supporting it... #amwriting #amediting

I'm so sorry, I've only just seen this. I'll have a look to see whether I can pop through to see your Dad, then let you know, if that's OK? x

'Extremely well' is music to my ears! I feel honoured to be on his produce list - I'd love some if he has any to spare. I've wanted to pop through to see him for months now, but between family health issues & being unwell myself, haven't managed it. Hope that changes soon & all is well with you x

I'm glad that your Dad is enjoying his allotment! The family and I were talking about him last night & hoping he was keeping well.

📷 Jean Gaumy

Clay Lane Furnaces, South Bank, Middlesbrough, 1981, by Graham Smith.

Thank you also for the additional print! It's going in a frame. I love the Transporter zine too, by the way. I pass that area very often & you've captured it beautifully. Further great inspiration & fantastic work! :)

So impressed by @mariegardiner.bsky.social's 'Changing Landscapes' zine, which brightened my weekend when it arrived & now sits on my shelves for inspiration! With a beautiful colour palette and evocative images, it's a zine I'm already looking forward to returning to...

Your short story collection sounds fascinating. All the best of luck with it - I'm looking forward to hearing more about it!

Thank you for writing the piece! It brought back many memories of being an early teen, having to change clothing styles, & its impact. Still get that supermarket 'following' if I go in with what's judged to be a more 'working-class' hairstyle, too. I look forward to your other work 🙂

"I have learned what is safe. What makes assumptions vanish:" it's been a long time since I read a piece that resonated with me as strongly as Matt Taylor's 'Tracksuits and Me'. It spoke to me on too many levels to sum up in one post, but it's brilliant to see writing like this commissioned.

A blue notebook with two pens laid across it: one orange pen, and one black. There is a white index card book laid across the blue notebook. In brown, orange, red and yellow capitals it reads: You've Got This.

So pleased to have reached the 20,000 word mark of a new project. Lots of exploratory work around character & setting in there, so I’d be surprised if 5,000 appear in the polished draft – but the thought & the spirit behind those words will underpin the whole piece. #amwriting

Yes, you're right that it was for TVCA. Thanks for letting me know they have an Insta - I've been wondering about joining up, so this may be the push I need! It would be great to read some new Teesside writing :)

This looks really interesting! I'm so pleased to see this as I carried out a funded research report into new Teesside writing in 2023-24 (with a playwriting focus) & recommended the development of a new writing infrastructure. Do you know where this magazine is available from? I'd love to read it 😊

Print featuring the upper half of a rabbit facing forwards head turned to the right among tall grasses in golden light under a yellow sun

'The watcher' by Yorkshire born printmaker Hester Cox #WomensArt

As a writer of a Northern dialect novel myself, I feel very fortunate that @newwritingnorth.bsky.social, my agent & other publishing professionals have made a safe creative space in which I can embrace this style, rather than repress it. That's the sort of support we need to see more of.

"The decision to use a Northern dialect could mean the work itself is then subject to the stereotypes about Northerners being inferior, uncultured & uneducated": a powerful article from @jenbowden12.bsky.social on barriers which Northern writers (particularly dialect writers) face within publishing.

Congratulations on the publication, Jen, & thank you very much for researching, writing & sharing what's an incredibly important piece of work. It's deeply frustrating to see those stereotypes & assumptions about Northern writers & dialect fiction persist & I hope your article causes a rethink.