Fiction
A Stitch in Scarlet
By Alison Habens He was not the bonniest doctor I’d ever seen, and I have been under a good number of medical men. He didn’t have the buttresses of Dr Watson, in his sick bay on [… read more ]
Fiction
Fiction
Portsmouth Writers’ Season: Christine Lawrence
We continue our Portsmouth Writers’ Season showcasing the best contemporary Portsmouth authors. Set in 1973, Christine Lawrence’s novel Caught in the Web tells the story of Karen, a mental hospital orderly whose obsession with an elderly patient draws her into [… read more ]
Fiction
Consequences
By Shelagh Simmons So that’s it. The twisted, burnt effigy to so much destruction in our lives – itself meeting a violent, blazing end – is finally sold. The property developer will raze what is [… read more ]
Fiction
Portsmouth Writers’ Season: Roz Ryszka-Onions
In our continuing season showcasing Portsmouth’s literary talent, we present a snippet from Roz Ryszka-Onions’ latest novel When Love Dies (available here in full). After unhinged and power-hungry data broker Val posts revenge porn photos of his [… read more ]
Fiction
Portsmouth Writers’ Season: Christine Hammacott
In the first of a season of posts celebrating local literary talent, we present a compelling sample from Christine Hammacott‘s psychological crime novel The Taste of Ash, which is set in Portsmouth and Lee-on-Solent. The full book [… read more ]
Fiction
A Polar Bear in Southsea: Part IV
The fourth part of J.S. Adams compelling eco-apocalyptic drama, in which climate change brings an iceberg to the south coast and a polar bear to Southsea, encountering some of Portsmouth’s most memorable residents along the [… read more ]
Culture
Closure Event Showcases Black British Writers (part of Portsmouth Bookfest)
As part of this year’s Bookfest programme, Jacob Ross will be chairing an evening of readings from contributors to Closure, a new anthology of contemporary Black British short stories, followed by a Q&A session and [… read more ]
Fiction
A Polar Bear in Southsea. Part III
JS Adams vividly imagines Portsmouth in the throes of eco-apocalypse in the third part of his serialised story. There are estimated to be around 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears left living in the wild. That’s [… read more ]
Fiction
Fur, Ashes and Soot
By Jon Crout. Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a …no, that was not quite true. There was a noise. A faint, barely discernible [… read more ]
Fiction
A Polar Bear in Southsea. Part II
JS Adams vividly imagines Portsmouth in the throes of eco-apocalypse in the second part of his serialised story. Just a typical morning stroll with the family and their dog along Southsea seafront promenade would soon [… read more ]