https://www.channel4.com/programmes/utama/on-demand/75755-001 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utama Virgino (José Calcina) gets up early to tend his llamas in Altiplano, the arid high plateau of the Andes with its mixture of cold and heat. His wife Sisa (Luisa Quispe) takes two metal buckets and walks into town for water. But the annual monsoon didn’t come. It hasn’t rained for a year. The weather is sick, says one of the villagers. Virgino is...

As usual our members made this the most difficult task of the week. Story of the Week Mark Burrow’s WIP continues to convince with a strong narrative voice. I look forward to seeing it in print one day. The latest instalment is here I enjoyed Marandina’s short about a family tragedy. This, too, benefits from a strong and believable narrative voice. ‘Those We Leave Behind’ is here This week’s Story of the Week goes to a tale by one of the most...

bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0gnmkvz/scrublands-series-1-episode-1?seriesId=p0gnmk66 https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0gnmlbt/scrublands-series-1-episo... https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0gnmm2g/scrublands-series-1-episo... https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0gnmmcc/scrublands-series-1-episo... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrublands_(novel) Scrublands begins with a bang. Literally. Father Byron Swift (Jay Ryan) after mass at St...

I’ve read a few Alan Parks's novels. Don’t ask me which ones. I thought To Die in June had won the McIlvanney Prize, but it was his last Detective Harry McCoy novel. I’m a book or two behind. I continually use the same line when talking about McIlvanney’s Detective Laidlaw series; his aim wasn’t to solve the crime but to solve the world. Detective Harry McCoy is from the same mould. ‘Wisdom comes through suffering.’ Aeschylus. I’m all for wisdom...

I promised I would let you know when Josiah and Archibald made their deput on the airwaves and I'm pleased to say that today (Friday, 17th November) is the day! The very first Undertakers story, 'A Dubious Undertaking' has been interpreted by Yorick Radio Productions and I have to say I think they have done a marvellous job. See what you think by following the link: https://yorickradioproductions.com/listen-to-our-latest-episodes/

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/la-civil https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_civil How much is your daughter worth? El Puma (Juan Daniel García Treviño) gives Ciero (Arcelia Ramírez) a price she must pay to see her daughter again. To keep her alive. He also demands her ex-husband’s truck. The smiling assassin and his companion assure her it’s just business. And she’d not to contact the police, because obviously in Northern Mexico they’re on the...

The title is longer that some of the books I’ve written and pretty much covers it. Alex Tresniowski has to shape a made-for-TV-kinda testimonial, true-story genre, into a three-part traditional beginning, middle and end with a bang. He gets nationwide coverage and a documentary programme to help with his search. The SET-UP establishes a normality that suggests this is who I am. In December, Paul Joseph Fronczak is just your typical ten-year-old...

Hi everyone, this is just a quick message to let you know I'm sorry I've not been around, I'm so missing all your wonderful poetry and stories. Laid up with a really bad dose of the flu and feeling awful. Can't wait to get back to normal. Jenny.

I didn’t get this… Shakespeare’s Typewriter. I’d once stopped writing in an exam about a minor Shakespearian villain/hero because I was bored to fuck. There was and is some dispute of who was the playwright called Shakespeare. Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne. She painted her face with lead pain. But I was pretty sure typewriters weren’t invented until the nineteenth century, perhaps earlier, but not 200 years earlier. Shakespeare, whoever he...

Jacques was in state general hospital the whole of June and half of August, and following up as outpatient. He is recovering well and gradually but steadily picking up weight he is completely mobile and has been able since returning home. He does look a great deal more healthy now, sleeping well too. Jacques is Spartan allright. He was born a soldier. We get along well and my own health has been very good. He sees to shopping and meals I do my...