During the lockdown, readers have been looking for titles that reflect their experiences. I’ve had a small flurry of interest in Stranded in the Six-Day War. People see some similarity between being marooned on a ship because of the external dangers and being cooped up in their homes to avoid Covid-19 infection. Derek Kelly One …
At a time when the future seems so uncertain, it might feel reassuring to look back to the past. As an author of non-fiction titles, I’ve often found myself delving into history. But I know little about the background of my own family. Far From Home For many years, I have been involved in voluntary …
Twice this month, I’ll be giving an illustrated talk. It’s about the merchant ships that became trapped in the Suez Canal during the Six-Day War in 1967. University of Brighton I’ll be at the University of Brighton on 5 February 5.30 – 7pm Room G4, Grand Parade. It is part of the seminar series for …
When US philatelist Eric Carlson found an unusual stamp on EBay, he ‘stumbled upon the remnants of a forgotten bit of world history, about a stranded convoy that built a community at the center of a war.’ Eric had discovered the Great Bitter Lake Association. New podcast 99% Invisible in the USA have produced an …
Since I wrote Stranded in the Six-Day War, people from around the world have been getting in touch with me. They tell me about their activities to keep alive the story of the ships stranded in the Suez Canal for eight years. The GBLA Last week, Peter Valdner sent a photo of the annual gathering …
The client studies his reflection in the hand-held mirror. His hair looks good on top but needs a little more trimming elsewhere. ‘Anyone got the number 2?’ calls the barber. After another careful 10 minutes’ work, the young Ghanaian has a perfect haircut – 1 cm on top and neatly shaved around the back and …
‘What if you had to leave your home and you could never go back? What do you think that would be like? ‘For millions of Syrians and other people from around the world, these are the question they face. The current desperate situation in their homelands and the mass migrations from the Middle East is …
Science vs art ‘I feel deeply that the adversarial idea of science versus art is a false dichotomy’ says RLF Consultant Fellow Doug Johnstone on the RLF Consultant Fellows blog. And although some scientists may not see themselves as creative, inspiration is key to scientific writing. Fiction vs non-fiction I feel the same way about …
Feedback on our writing can arouse strong emotions. RLF Consultant Fellow Anne Wilson explains how we can use feedback to improve our work.