No Alibis Press Podcast

Lots of advice for writers here from Louise Farr as she discusses early inspiration, the discipline required to write and the importance of finding a supportive online community. Louise discusses the genesis of her tragicomic story "Sing to Me", which she reads in full. Music by Ruby Colley. Edited by Stephen Sexton.

Laura-Blaise McDowell's "Balloon Animals", from Still Worlds Turning, was shortlisted for the Writing.ie Short Story of the Year Award at the An Post Irish Book Awards 2019. Here she chats to us about inspiration and how a story comes together, and reads the story in full. Music by Ruby Colley. Edited by Stephen Sexton.

"I like what happens to the reader when you present something as not entirely untrue." Joanna Walsh discusses her autofiction and creative nonfiction, including Break.up, Still Worlds Turning and Seed, and reads from "Fine" (Still Worlds Turning). Music by Ruby Colley. Edited by Stephen Sexton.

Mandy Taggart discusses her writing and reads 'Burn', an otherworldly tale of the demonic visions and euphoric reinventions of destitute drinker Billy McLaughlin. Music by Ruby Colley. Edited by Stephen Sexton.

Writer and artist Niamh MacCabe discusses life dictating form and the undemanding love of baby magpies. Niamh reads her story 'Lullula'. Music by Ruby Colley. Edited by Stephen Sexton.

Jan Carson (aka NI's leading Casualty expert) on glimpsing odd things through windows and transforming cul-de-sac stories. Jan reads 'The World Ending in Fire'. Music by Ruby Colley. Edited by Stephen Sexton.

Writer Dawn Watson talks about mapping the places 'where [poetry and prose] meet, where they connect', and reads 'The Seaview Hundred and Fifty-Two' (Still Worlds Turning), a story set in the early 1980s about a North Belfast pupil with OCD and how they confront one of the era’s many bogeymen. Music by Ruby Colley. Edited by Stephen Sexton.

How do writers move between composing long and short fiction? Where do stories come from and how are they carried to completion? Sam Thompson discusses form and practice before reading ‘Seafront Gothic’ (Still Worlds Turning), his story about the uncanny, sibling rivalry, and the unknowability that underpins human relationships. Music by Ruby Colley. Edited by Stephen Sexton. Photo by Chris O'Neill.

Author Wendy Erskine (Sweet Home, Stinging Fly, 2018) and David Torrans (No Alibis) discuss writing, and Wendy reads her short story 'NOTES FOR THE ATTENTION OF THOSE WORKING IN THE XANADU NIGHTCLUB, THE HENNESSY COURT HOTEL, BELFAST, 1983, found in the pocket of an old handbag when clearing a roof space, 2018' (Still Worlds Turning, No Alibis Press, 2019). Music by Ruby Colley. Edited by Stephen Sexton.

June Caldwell (Room Little Darker) introduced the anthology Still Worlds Turning (No Alibis Press 2019) with an essay on making and breaking the rules of short fiction. Here she discusses the form of the short story with anthology editor Emma Warnock. Music by Ruby Colley. Edited by Stephen Sexton. No Alibis Press is an independent publisher of fiction based in Belfast.