Nice review for my recent workshop for Manchester Literature Festival - Postcards from the Past.

• Stories from the city, stories from the sea
• Postcards From The Past Workshop, Saturday 11th May, 2-4.30pm, Stanley Suite, The Midland Hotel

Words by Desmond Bullen.

Long before the supposed modishness of flash fiction, prior to the chirpy burst of Twitter, wit at its briefest found its way inked onto the back of a postcard. Denuded of the envelope's discretion, its commonplaces and tidings were status updates on mass-produced cardboard. To come across one now, forgotten between the pages of a secondhand book, is to have the past blossom with the delicacy of a Polaroid before one's eyes.

The postcard is of a room. The room is in a hotel, the kind with a history; one whose inlaid angels have witnessed the relentless ebb and flow of guests and staff over years weary and gay, over decades heavy and light. The tales they could tell are on the tips of their tongues, but their tongues are still. The people in the room are not. They prowl and declaim, with varying degrees of self-consciousness, giving rise to an unintentional poetry, part Dada, part poetry.

And conducting this displaced cabaret is the quicksilver figure of Rosie Garland, a protean figure – neither poet nor mistress of ceremonies, neither March Violet nor author, but all, and more – now coaxing ink from pens in a workshop that is far more play than toil.

There is paper, too; the inevitable flipchart, the outpourings of the group in marker pen across it, like benign graffiti. And the pads and notebooks, their lines no longer flat, but beating with prose of which its authors might be cautiously proud. Each table has a soul or two brave enough to voice their new-found words to the room at large. Each has a postcard to send that's funny or thoughtful, angry or melancholy, flirtatious or droll.

Wish you were here? I was glad I was.

Superheroes of Slam 2017

Three Minute Theatre
Afflecks Arcade,
35-39, Oldham Street,
M1 1JG Manchester

Tickets £5/£4
Book on 0843 208 0500
19:00–22:00

Hosted by Rosie Garland, aka Rosie Lugosi
The Superheroes of Slam 2017 Final will take place on the 12th of October at Three Minute Theatre. This year finalists from Berlin (Germany), Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Leicester, Manchester, Newcastle, Rochdale and Sheffield will be battling it out for the title of Superheroes of Slam Champion 2017.
This year's finalists are...
Charlie Dupré, Kurt Wang, Haamid Sharif, Jodie Hannis, Jack Young, Elise Hadgraft, Shaun Hill, Melanie Branton and Rosie Fleeshman.

Book tickets to see them compete for the title here
http://www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk/events/commonword-superheroes-of-slam-final-37841

Alongside the title, the winner will receive £250 and an Arvon Course of their choice (subject to availability).
Contestants have 3 minutes to rock or shock the mic and are judged by audience responses and guest judges. Previous winners of the slam include: Dominic Berry, Mark Mace Smith, Ben Mellor, Joy France and Paris Kaur.

NORTHERN LIGHTS WRITERS' CONFERENCE 2015
SAT 14 NOV
Price: £30 / £25
Categories: Creative Industries
CIT and Manchester Literature Festival are delighted to announce the return of Northern Lights for its third annual event.

This year, Northern Lights is supported by Writers & Artists Yearbook and the conference will focus on the craft of writing for different platforms - print, blogs, stage, cinema and radio.

We feature a range of talks, panel discussions and workshops from expert speakers that will look in detail at the skills writers need in order to diversify their writing, to become accomplished storytellers across a number of platforms and to develop a sustainable career.

Keynote speaker is writer, journalist and broadcaster Louise Doughty (Apple Tree Yard, A Novel in A Year), appearing alongside DaDa Award for Performance Artist of the Year, Rosie Garland (Vixen), Green Carnation Prize winner, Kerry Hudson (Tony Hogan Bought Me An Ice-Cream Float Before He Stole My Ma), winner of the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize 2015 Emma Jane Unsworth, plus Blog North Award winner Len Grant, writer & theatre-maker James Varney, BBC Radio 4 writer and producer Gary Brown, Made In Manchester director Ashley Byrne as well as guests from the world of publishing. Northern Lights 2015 will also feature a range of video content available online before and after the event.

Saturday 11th May, 2 - 4.30pm

Midland Hotel (Stanley Suite), Peter Street, Manchester M60 2DS

If you are thinking of entering our Postcards from the Past writing competition and would like some inspiration and top tips on writing history-inspired fiction, book a place on this special workshop with much admired author Rosie Garland. Rosie will be talking about the research behind her startling debut novel A Palace of Curiosities, featuring Victorian freak show stars The Lion Faced Girl and The Flayed Man, and leading participants through a series of practical workshops to generate new story ideas.

This is a free event organised by Manchester Literature Festival. Capacity is limited so places must be booked in advance by emailing

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Please include a day time telephone number in your email and 'Postcards from the Past' in the subject line.