Glen Wilson

OK, so this has escalated more than expected. If you've replied to this then, firstly, thank you. Secondly, bear with me, I'll make sure to reply directly in time, but have a couple of deadlines to meet today first.

Hi Fiona, I commission writers to work on features (mainly artist interviews) for the Southbank centre's website. I've a healthy list of freelancers across most art forms, but I'm short on writers who have an interest/focus on classical music if you know of anyone looking for opportunities.

Thanks Richard, I fear @fionahmaddocks.bsky.social is beyond my budget, but if you know of any classical music writers looking for opportunities Fiona, please do let me know

Long shot (mainly due to how little engagement I get on here), but I'm looking for freelance writers with an interest, or specialism in, classical music.

If you are one, or know one, please give me a shout.

Saw two monks walking past a pub on my way into work.

So close to a joke and not even 9am

That scene of the Welsh BBC correspondent being the only person interviewing Caerphilly's new Plaid AM while the rest of the media interviewed Reform's loser in the background was far too on the nose.

Da iawn Caerphilly!

As a marker of how Reform-dominated this by-election’s media coverage has been, yesterday was the first time I’d actually seen or heard Lindsay Whittle; I wish I could say the same for Llyr Powell.

London Literature Festival | Southbank Centre

This year's #LondonLiteratureFestival runs until 2 November at the @southbankcentre.bsky.social.

You can find a full programme for the festival, here:

Self Esteem on song writing, womanhood and being 'less frightened' | Southbank Centre The award-winning singer-songwriter looks ahead to her co-curation of our 2025 London Literature Festival.

And last, but far from least, my @southbankcentre.bsky.social colleagues sat down with the #LondonLiteratureFestival's co-curator for 2025, @selfesteem.music-social.com to talk about the festival, and her own debut book, A Complicated Woman.

Arts unravelled: how are book awards decided? | Southbank Centre How are awards for books and poems decided? We spoke to three literary prize organisations to find out.

We've got three different literary prize readings and ceremonies at this year's #LondonLiteratureFestival, so I spoke to representatives from the @forwardprizes.bsky.social, @wasafirimag.bsky.social and @goldsmithsprize.bsky.social to understand what goes into deciding literary prizes.

How I create… with writer and multidisciplinary artist Tice Cin | Southbank Centre The award-winning writer and all-round creative discusses believing in ideas, being brave and finding your own success.

The writer and multidisciplinary artist Tice Cin, who brings the latest instalment of her live show Neoprine Genie to #LondonLiteratureFestival, gave me an insight into her creative process.

Olga Ravn: 'I'm very mistrustful of writers who don't read' | Southbank Centre An in-depth interview with celebrated Danish writer Olga Ravn on her new book The Wax Child and how 'all language holds a view of the world'.

And good news literary fans; the #LondonLiteratureFestival reading doesn't stop there.

Anahit Behrooz interviewed the fascinating @olgaravn.bsky.social about her new book The Wax Child, not tomention feminist rewriting, fragmenting the novel and fighting loneliness.

Artist on artist: Simon Armitage on the 'exceptional' yet 'overlooked' Bill Nelson | Southbank Centre The Poet Laureate finally shares his appreciation and admiration for 'maverick' guitarist, musician and fellow Yorkshireman Bill Nelson.

This year's #LondonLiteratureFestival gets under way at the @southbankcentre.bsky.social this week.

Ahead of the festival I was lucky enough to speak with Poet Laureate Simon Armitage about his hitherto secret love for Yorkshire musician Bill Nelson

Standing with Maccabi’s football hooligans against local police – is that what patriotism looks like now? | Jonathan Liew Tommy Robinson is said to be going to Villa Park as a Maccabi Tel Aviv fan. Do the politicians jumping on this bandwagon care what they are doing, asks Guardian columnist Jonathan Liew

column on robbie keane www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

It’s why I didn’t go. #NoFacePaintNoParty

The BBC are accidentally running the subtitles to Mrs Marple over the Mercury Prize, and it’s rather wonderful. A few of lines could plausibly have been written by Jarvis.

I don’t even trust sparkling water from a bottle let alone straight from your kitchen tap

“That’s mesmeric, that’s sublime, and it’s typically Georgi Kinkladze”… how has this commentary line stayed in my head for 30 years?

The Lightning Seeds' 'The Life of Riley' was playing in the sandwich shop at lunchtime, and so now my afternoon is spent daydreaming of Jeremy Goss volleys and Georgi Kinkladze skipping past Southampton defenders

A copy of Alternative Wales magazine, open on a two-page article titled ‘Keepy-ups with the Joneses’ which features a photo of a non-league footballer placing the ball for a corner kick. The words of the article are blurred out.

In the latest edition of @alternativewales.bsky.social (out now) I’ve written about searching for ‘good soccer’ in the guise of Eduardo Galeano and finding it in a third-tier Welsh midfielder with massive calves.

Zen, Zenith, Zenica; Losing and Winning with Wales in Bosnia As you edge through the gloom, towards the away terrace, the reality of the enormity of the game hits you. This really could be it.

“You’re hundreds of miles from home, you’re cold, you’re soaked through, you’ve lost two nil… you wouldn’t swap this for anything”

It’s 10 years ago today that Wales qualified for Euro 2016 in a suitably Welsh way. And I wrote this report-come-mini-novella on the experience of it all…

If I heard a rumour ICCO are the pizza wing of Lockheed Martin I’d probably believe it… but at sub £5 a pizza in Bloomsbury I would also keep it to myself

‘The front two coaches of this train will terminate at Chester, the rear two coaches will travel on to Wrexham and Shrewsbury. This train is formed of two coaches.’

Love it when the likelihood of me reaching my destination depends on my ability to solve a riddle.

"Good evening...

[glances at back of hand, only to be confronted by a blue inky smudge that extends up the length of the whole arm, and across most of the torso]

...err, everyone"

@ralphdavies.bsky.social Some really nice Brno related design here…

Part of an email from Avanti that encourages people to visit Colwyn Bay, North Wales. The text reads: ‘Bucket and space list. From beautiful beaches to massive mountains, have an adventure.’ Above the text is a picture of a small town by a sandy beach with a mountainous landscape rising behind it. The town is Barmouth.

Shout to Avanti for advertising the merits of visiting Colwyn Bay… with a picture of Barmouth… a mere four and a half hours away by train.

An elected politician shouldn't be able to defect/change parties whilst in office.
Either represent the party you were elected as a representative of, or stand down and be part of a by-election.

There’s a single Sheffield United fan in our mainly Doncaster Rovers supporting group chat.

During their 5-0 loss at Ipswich he was picked out by the tv camera, looking very fed up, in a daft hat, in close up.

Just as he was thinking his night couldn’t get any worse, a buzzing began in his pocket.

Wales on course to miss nature target 'by a country mile' Martin Shipton A new report from Wales Environment Link shows that only 2.1% of Welsh land is properly protected for nature – far short of the Welsh Government’s 30% by 2030 target. Conservationists a...

To be fair, if I was going to miss a nature target by any distance I’d want it to be this one
nation.cymru/news/wales-o...

Read an interview with Suede this morning where they describe their latest record as 'vital'.

I love that.

Can you imagine having the confidence to describe something you've made or done as being vital?