Writing Dump / Life Update

Because I like everything in its right place, here is all the stuff I’ve written over the last couple of years for Left Lion, Now Then and Reel Steel.

Features

Director Marc Meyers on My Friend Dahmer

Learn About The Lives and Deaths at Newstead Abbey

10 Nottingham Pubs Where You Can Get Your Game On

What Sort of Nottingham Do We Want to Create?

The White Lady of Newstead on How She Bit the Dust

Nottingham Writers' Studio and Society of Authors

Film Reviews

Hail Satan?

Funny Cow

Lucky

Apostasy

Dogman

The Square

Hereditary

JOKER

My Friend Dahmer

The Third Murder

Generation Wealth

The Best Films of 2018

The Worst Films of 2018

Art / Exhibitions

SEE HERE at the former Neale’s Auction House

Jos Bitelli’s The Procedure at Nottingham Contemporary

Nottingham Trent Fine Art Degree Show 2018

Strike Site at Backlit

Poetry Events

Hollie McNish Warms Up The Old Cold Store

Women Say Stuff at Cafe Sobar

#HighscoreHaikus at National Videogame Museum

Music / Festivals

Sunday Afternoon at Folk Forest 2019

Cantaloupe (Error States)

Dave Mooney & Nancy

Book Reviews 

Forest Folk by James Prior 

The Stars are Legion by Kameron Hurley

The Life Update Bit

Funnily enough, I've got some time to work on my blog again. I now live in Sheffield, work in tech, and have a boyfriend who knows a lot about German.

I'm also pretty active on Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr (say hello!).

Hope you're all doing ok out there in Hell World.

Five (Left) Lions

Nottingham treasure LeftLion Magazine reaches its 100th issue this month! It's a must-read if you're in the city, and free to pick up from many a fine Notts establishment. I'm dead chuffed to have been doing a few articles for their website recently, here they all are if you fancy a gander...


1. Nottingham Writers' Studio to Host Joint Networking Event with Society of Authors

A little plug for our beloved Notts Writers' Studio, which is well worth a visit.


2. 10 Nottingham Watering Holes with Pub Sports and Games

I had so much fun researching for this (2-3 pubs per week for a month).


3. Art Review: Strike Site at Backlit

Review of an exhibition about the refugee crisis at indie gallery Backlit.


4. Fluent Females: Third Annual Women Say Stuff Event at Cafe Sobar

Write up of a female-led poetry event for International Women's Day.


5. Film Review: The Square

Getting bitter and preachy about the mad world of contemporary art.

Playing Ringing the Bull at Ye Olde Trip (plus mystery observer)

My Instagram photos for the YHA.

 

I’ve been working for the Youth Hostel Association (YHA) for just over a couple of months now - one of my roles is looking after their Instagram account.

Here are some of my fave snaps that I’ve taken for them so far. With all sincerity, lucky me!

(Before you think I've magically got very good at taking pictures, obviously the best/pro looking ones on their account are not my photography)

Alchemy Festival 2014 - disposable camera photos.

 

 

 

 

 

Alchemy Festival 2014, disposable camera.

 

"Thanks for offering every drug known to man Alchemy festival, but really just wanted a toilet that wasn’t mentally scarring."

Tennyson and The Lady of Shalott album art.

 

Doing a picture of The Lady of Shalott is like doing a cover version of a classic song - I’m never going to outdo the Pre-Raphaelites!

This is the cover for Dad’s latest album (he sets poetry to music), illustrating Tennyson’s tragic Shalott and her curse. It’s a girl stuck in tower, falls for hot knight with great hair, then inexplicably dies kind of story.

It’s come out a bit R. Crumb with all the crosshatching and luckily I had a medieval-style dress that I could pose in for reference. Dressing up as dead chicks makes my day.

 

And here is Alfred Lord Tennyson, surrounded by strange flowery things! I enjoy his glum Arthurian poems and his big influence on the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

 

Drew him in pencil for the sleeve of Dad’s CD and based his face on a portrait in a VERY old book!

Amazing nature at Renishaw Hall and Gardens!

 

The amazing woods near Renishaw Hall.

The amazing lake near Renishaw Hall.

The amazing garden near Renishaw Hall.

I could have walked around here all day, such a beautiful place! Very ‘The Secret Garden’ and one of my favourite Derbyshire stately home haunts.

It was also a fun surprise finding Watership Down under a tree. You can’t see it (you gotta have faith), but they’re gazing at a suspended wooden sun (Lord Frith I assume). Except for atheist bunny on the left there.

 

 

The amazing flowers near Renishaw Hall.

The amazing statue near Renishaw Hall.

Digitally tweaked in Photoshop for added drama/contrast/really cool things.

The cellist is Amaryllis Fleming and she was sculpted by Fiore de Henriquez. My knowledge of cellists extends to ‘Hilary and Jackie’, so I always reckoned this was a dead ringer for Jacqueline du Pré!

Promises to a new laptop (a love poem).

Oh laptop, thou art barely born.

Rejoice, you are now the lucky vessel of my neuroticism and creativity (yeah right).

I promise to overlook your sharp edges and fascinating ugliness (potential baby names: Rorschach, John Merrick). I was spoilt with my old Sony Vaio, it was a beautiful woman with gentle curves (sounding a bit gay here). But NO, you are a sleek monolith with no need for tawdry decor!

I promise to update you properly, protect you from virusy harm (sorry about this morning) and change your metaphorical nappy when needed (what?). I promise to install and master Photoshop, rather than just The Sims 2. I promise to upload my art and photography, rather than staying up to read rude fanfics. I promise to hunt for interesting work, rather than stalking people on the internet. I promise to use you for inspiration and personal development, rather than scrolling through amusing cat photos. I promise to stick up for your homely averageness when my boyfriend bullies you for not being fast or powerful enough (which he will). You're just about right for me.

In return, please keep my secrets safe and secure, so I don't end up in nude photo scandal shocker/blackmail hell. Not like I take any (sorry to disappoint). Here's to a fresh start and a few years snuggling up and slaving over the keyboard together.

Love from Natalie (a girl who writes for a living yet is appalling at poetry, and who hasn't owned a laptop since last year). *pats your wee laptop head*

A Field in England, A Beach in Wales.

Or what I did this summer when I wasn't working heh.
(really, really appreciate my free time these days)

I went to Latitude festival with my favourite people, the highlights included...

It being so hot that my lip balm melted (I then used it).

Being nude and proud like Amanda Palmer in the showers.

Getting to the front for Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Hot Chip and Kraftwerk. Right on time.

Stalking Alan Moore, David Shrigley and Carol Anne Duffy.

Eddie Izzard, Dylan Moran, Richard Herring and Tim Key lulz. Everyone needs a good larf!

The flock of multicoloured sheep.

My 'cookery'.

Then we went to Wales for a week, the highlights included...

Swimming in the freezing sea with my lovely man.

Visiting all the castles. History is a story of humans being shitty to each other.

Reading Trainspotting and A Clockwork Orange like the cool kids we are.

Folly Farm (and zoo) which definitely isn't just for kids.

Not being at work/staying in bed all day.

Other people's cookery.

Everything.

I've also been on a couple of protests, written lots about beauty/babies for a household name and generally been too busy (one way or anuzzer) to blog on here.

I need to write and make time for myself more -- I'll try! :)

Broomhill Sculpture Gardens.

(above) “Watchers” by Seth Orion Schwaiger.

(above) “Welcome To The Third Millennium” by Mike Roles.

Album covers I've gone and done.

My dad’s been setting poems to folk music for years, here are some of the album sleeves I've done for him.