Biographies
Julianne Benford
Julianne Benford graduated with a BA (Hons) in Media and Modern Literature from Goldsmiths last year. Born, bred and resident in south London, she writes short stories, occasional poetry, the odd play, has several novels in progress and also blogs about fashion and literature. The blogs and more information about her can be found at www.ladyjulianne.com. Her e-mail address is juliannelefay@googlemail.com.
Novel Excerpt: Almost Ordinary – Chapter 4
Neil Bradley
A native South Londoner, Neil Bradley is the former spoof Wildlife Editor for BBC Radio London’s Vanessa Feltz Show, who describes himself as the "Charlie Drake of the literary world." In his spare time he is a football fanzine columnist and serial letter writer. He also, somewhat bizarrely, writes eulogies and personal histories, which he performs at the funerals of strangers. Neil has long since abandoned hope of ever completing a trilogy of novels, and is currently working on a memoir. He one day hopes to write The Great American Novel or, failing that, a "very big Cheque!"
Life Writing: Drinking Tea
Sara Bynoe
Sara Bynoe grew up in Canada. She hates snow and camping and loves chocolate chip cookies. Career highlights include: being quoted on NPR's 'All Things Considered', performing at Latitude, her book launch at the KGB bar, acting in an American TV show, and getting her music on the radio – ok, college radio, but it still counts. Currently Sara is working on a novel based on her time working as a street promoter and her 'complicated' relationship with her boss who quit to be a male stripper. For more information, videos and text please visit www.SaraBynoe.com
Andrea Clough
Andrea Clough has written poetry and short stories from the age of five. She has completed a draft of a novel, "The Wheel of Tides," set in Neolithic Britain, and is currently working on another, set in Bronze Age Crete, of which the present extract is the opening section. She was born in England, and has lived in New Zealand and America. She graduated from Harvard University with a Ph.D. in English, and was an academic for many years. She now works as a psychotherapist, and lives in south-east London with her partner, four cats, a laptop, and assorted fountain pens. You can contact her at andreaclough@talk21.com.
Novel Excerpt: Karisha in the Labyrinth
Juliet Cochrane
Juliet is 23 and has just finished her MA in Creative and Life Writing at Goldsmiths. At 19 she won 1st prize in the 'under 25s' section of a poetry competition in Australia (where she partly grew up); at 20, 1st prize in a short-story competition in Falmouth (listen here) during her undergraduate; and last year was asked to release part of her dissertation for publication in the London 'new talent' magazine Art and Things (read here). Anything else you'd like to ask? Email: julietcochrane@hotmail.com
Poetry: Last Night I Dreamt I Lived Next Door to C.K. Williams; Van Dyck
Adrian Cross
In addition to the MA in Creative and Life Writing at Goldsmiths, Adrian Cross has attended a residential fiction writing course with The Arvon Foundation. He lives in London, having previously resided in India and Spain, and is a graduate in Philosophy. He has been a teacher and journalist and now works with children in care. He is the author of a collection of short stories called Tales From The Baggage Carousel, one of which has been previously published in Dreamcatcher. He can be contacted at: adecross66@hotmail.com
Novel Excerpt: Set Me Down City
Ali Hale
After abandoning her early ambitions of ruling the world (aged three) and becoming an astronaut (aged twelve), Ali graduated from Cambridge University with a BA in English in 2006. She has won prizes in two Writing Magazine short story competitions, and has had a short story in My Weekly magazine, as well as an article in Writers' Forum. She is currently working on the second draft of Lycopolis, which deals, in part, with manipulation and the dark side of the imagination. Ali writes professionally for a number of blogs, as well as her own Aliventures. Contact her at ali@aliventures.com.
Novel Excerpt: Lycopolis – Chapter 9
Gill Hancock
Gill Hancock studied French and Spanish at Girton College, Cambridge, and in France and Spain. She has published books of stories for children, illustrated by Victor Ambrus. "The Elder of the Kirk" is her first attempt at life writing.
Life Writing: The Elder of the Kirk
Sybilla Harvey
Sybilla is twenty three and lives in East London. She grew up in Abergavenny, South Wales, home to many a mountain and market. She enjoys writing short stories, and is currently working on the first draft of a novel. When she is not working part time at Random House, she writes for the website www.worldreviewer.com. You can contact her here: sybilla844@hotmail.com
Short Story: Crickets
Jonathan Holt
Jonathan Holt lives in London. He grew up in the United States. He blogs occasionally at www.woobiquity.com and can be reached at jsholt@hotmail.com.
Novel Excerpt: Remote, Remote!
Patrick Hudson
Patrick Hudson lives in London. Earlier in the year his story "Original Mike's Coffee Shop" won second prize in the Genomics Forum short story competition – you can read it online for free. He can be contacted on patrick.hudson2@ntlworld.com.
Novel Excerpt: Actual Gameplay
Graham Jameson
Graham Jameson once met Paul Simon in a lift.
"You’re Paul Simon," he said.
"Yeh, that’s right," said Paul. "Who are you?"
"I’m Graham Jameson."
"What? The Graham Jameson?"
A good question given that Graham is a fan of the construction of social identity in writing he consumes and produces. Graham spent more years than care to remember him in schools and then stopped. Currently working on short stories, a longer novel for children and a play, Graham lives in the sylvan heartland of New Cross and has two or three delightful children. He is younger and taller than Paul. He can be contacted at: grahamjameson255@hotmail.com.
Short Story: The Visit
Matthew Joseph Johnson
Matthew Joseph Johnson was born in 1983 to a nice pair. He grew up in Derby, was educated in Nottingham, and presently finds himself in London. He has come far. If he could describe himself satisfactorily in 100 words he would either be quite dull or a master of concision. He is neither. He is 0.00111 miles long. Email: matthewjjohnson@hotmail.co.uk. Website: http://matthewjosephjohnson.blogspot.com/
Poetry: When I am a Man; There was a tuna fish... ; Aerodynamics no. 2
Thomas Kendall
Thomas Kendall is currently working on a novel entitled 'a crack in the heart some light goes through' as well as the script for an avant-garde graphic novel in collaboration with the artist Kier Mcgregor, portions of which can be seen here: www.ityrantthefoundling.blogspot.com. His work has previously appeared in the Dennis Cooper edited anthology 'Userlands' and online at www.decongested.com. He can be contacted at t.pkendall@hotmail.co.uk.
Novel Excerpt: Recursive: A Home in Travelogue by The Futile Mystic
Seraphima Kennedy
Seraphima lives in London where she was born. For the past year she has been writing poetry almost exclusively, but she's recently started work on a novel. She is particularly interested in post-colonialism, feminism and children's literature. As well as the novel, she is currently working on a collection of poems, several short stories, and a novella for teenagers set in Ethiopia and Blackheath. You can contact her at phimbaloo@hotmail.com.
Novel Excerpt: Let Me Go Home and Stay
Jenny Kingsley
Jenny Kingsley has just completed the MA Creative and Life Writing course at Goldsmiths. She grew up in New York City and received her first degree in social anthropology from the London School of Economics and a Master's degree in government from Georgetown University. Jenny has been a journalist with women's magazines and an elected politician. She has written and published non-fiction for many years and contributed a column to an American newspaper called 'Letter from London'. Her first short story was published in Petits Propos Culinaires this year and her second in Goldfish Online Spring 2009. She has written a collection of stories which she is hoping to publish. Please contact Jenny at jennykingsley@mac.com.
Short Story: Belinda's Road
Rohan Kriwaczek
Rohan Kriwaczek is a writer and musician based in Brighton. As a musician he has recorded 33 albums and worked with Jarvis Cocker, Damon Albarn, Imogen Heap and Amanda Palmer (Dresden Dolls) amongst many others. In 2002 he founded the Rohan Theatre Band and in 2003 his Concerto for Klezmer Band and Orchestra was performed at the Queen Elizabeth Hall under the baton of Benjamin Wolf. His last book An Incomplete History of the Art of Funerary Violin generated extraordinary international publicity and has now been published in four countries and translated into German. For more information please visit www.rohan-k.co.uk. His second book, On the Many Deaths of Amanda Palmer, is due to be published by Duckworth/Overlook in December 2009.
Short Story: Oskar Brantwein Gets a Present
Sylvestra Le Touzel Teale
Sylvestra Le Touzel Teale started working professionally as an actor at six years old. Most recently she has appeared in Mike Leigh's film Happy-Go-Lucky and on stage in Ivanov at Wyndhams theatre. She writes Life and Fiction. She lives near Goldsmiths with her husband and three children. This year she has had a short story, 'Youthful Folly', broadcast on Radio 4.
Life Writing: The Original
Mark Lewis
Mark has been an actor for over thirty years, a writer of screenplays and tv scripts, a woodworker to the stars, and a dickhead to many others, but rather a good cook apparently, and an improving poet he reckons, yeah right! Email majl@talktalk.net.
Short Story: Fog Banks and Beaches
Katya Maddison
Katya spent much of her childhood in the Middle East, but was returned to the UK for her education. She studied Islamic History and Arabic at university and went on from there to work in Finance, Journalism and Business Consultancy before deciding that she wasn't suited to a proper career. Her writing has included short stories, poetry and short theatrical pieces and now that her three children are almost out of her hair she is devoting more time to longer pieces of fiction. ki.maddison@btinternet.com
Short Story: The Cupboard
Aoife Mannix
Aoife Mannix is an Irish writer based in London. Her first novel Heritage of Secrets was published by Lubin & Kleyner in 2008. She is the author of four collections of poetry; The Trick of Foreign Words (2002), The Elephant in the Corner (2005), Growing Up An Alien (2007) and Turn The Clocks Upside Down (2008) – all with Tall Lighthouse. Her work has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4. Her short stories are included in the anthologies Tell Tales Volume 3 (2006), Small Voices, Big Confessions (2006) and Westside Stories (2003). Contact aoifemannix@hotmail.com or see www.aoifemannix.com.
Life Writing: Chapter 3 – Tiny Monsters
Isha Marquez
Isha Marquez is a Graduate of St Andrews University where she completed her Undergraduate and first Masters Degree. She has recently moved from London to Bath but keeps close ties with her Peruvian heritage. As well as her passion for writing she enjoys traveling and capturing fleeting moments on her trusty and much loved camera. She is currently completing her first novel, Gringolandia and looking to find a suitable agent for its promotion. You can find excerpts from her collection of short stories as well as Gringolandia on her website: www.ishamarquez.com – She hopes that you enjoy this first chapter!
Novel Excerpt: Gringolandia
Natasha Mirzoian
Natasha Mirzoian has just completed the MA in Creative and Life Writing at Goldsmiths. Born in Russia and of Armenian origin, Natasha moved to London as a child. After completing a degree and Masters at the University of East Anglia in English Literature, she worked in book publishing for some years and is currently working on her first novel. She has had some short stories published in various magazines and is working towards a short story collection. She can be contacted on natashamir@hotmail.com.
Short Story: A Strange Tale of Insomnia
Edwin Morgan
Edwin Morgan is working on his first novel, which he hopes to complete by next summer. His email is: edwin.morgan@bristolalumni.org.uk
Short Story: Travel Writing
Anna Poppa
Anna Poppa is in her final year of a masters degree in Creative and Life Writing at Goldsmiths. She is currently working on her first novel, Baby, an excerpt from which can be read on this site. Her short story, 'Mister Thomas', was published in Goldfish Online Spring 2009, which can be reached from the link to the Goldfish Archive. Anna lives in London, and can be contacted via email to annapoppa@mac.com.
Novel Excerpt: Baby
Ruby Radburn
Ruby Radburn finished her MA in September 2009, but she is still hanging around the library, pretending to be a student and trying to finish her first novel. She lives in South-East London and has a three-year-old son.
Novel Excerpt: In the Cherries – Chapter 1
Jonathan Socrates
Jonathan Socrates was born on the tropical isle of Jersey before setting sail to London to seek fame and fortune through writing and music at the age of 13. After ten years of little success he went into self-imposed exile to the Mediterranean. He returned to London in 2006 where he currently resides. He has been published in China in Zing Magazine. Email: jonathansocrates@hotmail.com.
Novel Excerpt: The Factory – Chapters 1 – 4
David Teall
David Teall grew up near Bath, lived some years in Torquay and moved to London in order to study, first for an English degree and then a PGCE. Has written a number of stories inspired by aspects of English folklore and the novel excerpt published here on Goldfish is the opening of a novel inspired by old piers, the English seaside and long forgotten summer season shows. Can be contacted at robertcegeste@yahoo.co.uk. Now there's a funny thing!
Novel Excerpt: Snowball and Fear
Rachel Watson
Rachel Watson grew up in Bolton, Lancashire and now lives in Cambridge with her family. She has worked in Cambodia, Kosovo, New York and Brussels as a journalist and as a press officer for refugee agencies. Rachel's MA year at Goldsmiths helped her to discover a passion for life writing, and the story published here is dedicated to her grandmother, who died earlier this year. Rachel is now working on a longer memoir about her painful and yet frequently farcical NHS experience waiting out a pregnancy where the baby was not expected to survive. Email: rachelwatson813@btinternet.com.
Life Writing: What Ethel Did