‘What mattered most were the words on the page, and his precise, enthusiastic feedback when he liked those words was worth its weight in gold to the scores of writers whom he fostered.’

Anthony Glavin Essay 15th October 2024

‘I have tried everything. It is no use. I can write multiple paragraphs in advance, perfectly pleasant paragraphs. Pleasant and mild and safe is all my brain is interested in when I try to write something in good time.‘

Victoria Kennefick Essay 1st August 2024

‘A year into writing a second draft, I catch the first unsettling drift of unease, like something unpleasant and indefinable under the floorboards.’

Marianne Lee Essay 27th June 2024

‘There’s nothing to compare to that satisfaction for a reader: reading as assent, when words close on their matter with such precision, such clean truth. Only if you’ve tried to write can you know how difficult it is to achieve that transparency and wholeness.’

Tessa Hadley Essay 24th May 2024

‘Before I became a writer, I had already failed quite a lot. I like to think it was good practice.’

Declan Meade Essay 13th March 2024

A chance to look back on our essay series reflecting on the pains and pleasures of writing and publishing – with a new Afterword by Series Editor, Olivia Fitzsimons.

The Stinging Fly Essay 13th December 2023

‘They may not realise it, but the positive impact queer people in progressive countries have on queer people across the world cannot be overstated. For those of us who live in countries where it is dangerous to express our identities, this connection means everything.’

Anonymous Essay 22nd November 2023

‘When I say I am lonely, my friends tell me, “At least you have your book,” as if the publicity stands in for a partner.’

Sheena Patel Essay 9th November 2023

‘Thinking about friendship now, I think about the ways in which we are able to do things with others that we could never do on our own. The way that friends drag unknown parts out of our bodies, allowing us to be braver than we can feel by ourselves.’

Thomas Morris Essay 6th September 2023

‘I was not an open-minded person when I first began to publish books. Writers befriended and accepted me with all my fundamentalist baggage. They gave me the time and space to change. They did not judge me.’

Jan Carson Essay 16th August 2023

‘Sometimes I tell myself that the words will come if I just sit here long enough.’

Donal Ryan Essay 2nd August 2023

‘After the book I’ve been working on for three years gets rejected countless times by publishers and agents, I happen upon a bit of spare cash and say, fuck it, I’m getting a shed.’

Kevin Curran Essay 12th July 2023