Cringe - I found this in my dad's downstairs loo & getting George Orwell 1984 flashbacks
A right royal message from King Charles, Submit to Bath Book Award, new Fleet Street Festival of words, Instagrammable bookshops and Christmas - already?
My dear wordsmiths,
Hello - hope you are well. Please subscribe and like if not already!
It’s a realistic fact of journalism that you get hammered so hard in advance with communications in your email ahead of significant events that you are generally over it well ahead of any festivities. The worst is Christmas and having already received my first panto announcement - oh yes I did - I fear I may used up any festive bonhomie by approximately May, so this is my Grinch warning. (& Oliver Twist has been announced for Hull Truck Theatre - you’re welcome).
Mr Pheasant updates (I know this is the only reason you read this)
In other news, Mr Pheasant, who I mentioned was injured last week, is feeling a bit better so his limp is reduced and his plumage shinier than ever - apart from when he tried to squeeze through the hedge at which point he resembles me in the morning. But he did make us chuckle after we were awoken to a determined tapping. He wasn’t at the window though - he was staring intensely at himself in our garden mirror and then attacking himself. I feel similar when I see my reflection.
Cringe & an eclipse
I popped in to see my globetrotting father this week - he was making a rare stay here in Lancashire for approx 24 hours before shooting off for his chosen astronomy hotspot of southern Spain. He was keen to get there ahead of the partial solar eclipse on Saturday (you can see it here too at around 10am Sat if not cloudy (please don’t look directly at it - you can tell I’m an astronomer’s daughter).
Meanwhile, I was horrified on popping in the loo to see this classic adorn the wall from my first reporting role (RIP Preston and Leyland Reporter). In case you are wondering, this was my semi-goth packet dye/straighteners Jennifer Aniston hair era - my hair is not this colour or this straight naturally I can assure you.) Blast from the past.
News, opportunities & events
NEWS: While Trump shouts at journalists, King Charles invites the UK media for tea and cakes
While US president Donald Trump’s modus operandi appears to be to undermining media and free speech at all cost unless they act as convenient puppets for his wild Orwellian agenda (1984 but four decades later), there has been a notable attempt in the UK to prove support for media. This comes from both royal and political camps - and it can’t be a coincidence. King Charles, famously not actually that keen on the media (see recent history), invited hundreds of regional journalists to Buckingham Palace for what I heard was a very hot (of the temperature variety) reception yesterday (Wednesday) to make the point , timing it to coincide with the release of an Op Ed across the media. Next week, a reception is being held by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to support local media at 10 Downing Street. It’s safe to say that never before has the Old US of A felt like such a foreign, undemocratic and frightening country - and the UK is hardly Valhalla.
Message from His Majesty The King (in full)
“I have long believed that regional media, in all its forms, has a unique and vital role to play in society, perhaps even more so in these uncertain times As I said in a speech to mark the tercentenary of Britain’s first daily national newspaper, back in 2002, the Press, alongside other long-standing institutions, is at the forefront of ‘defining, describing and celebrating the more profound values of our nation’.
“Two decades on, when too much focus is given to that which divides us, that role for your whole industry is more important than ever - and it starts from the ground-up, at local level, in your hands. Your reporting, and the work of all those who support you, helps amplify and reaffirm the rights and responsibilities we all share. It shines a light in dark corners, exposing injustice and wrongdoing. Above all, it helps strengthen our communities, in times of joy and at moments of sorrow. You won’t always get it right. A free media is one that will and does make mistakes. But at its best, it is a cornerstone of our democracy.
“I know how commercial pressures and changing technologies have had a significant impact on your industry. But as the media landscape has changed, so too many of you have adapted and innovated, finding ways of sharing your journalism and engaging audiences in new and creative ways. It is in everyone’s interests that you should succeed. For without a thriving and financially robust regional media, we would all be the poorer.”
EVENT: Fleet Street Quarter Festival of words 14-17 May
A major new cultural initiative for this western side of the City of London, with a programme of leading authors spanning multiple genres. Fleet Street Quarter is an area steeped in the heritage of literature and publishing, a place where stories have always been born. The Festival programme will feature events spanning current affairs and journalism, fiction, screenwriting, poetry and spoken word, and family and children’s events. Let’s hope some local journalism representatives are added to the rosta..
The first events announced as part of the Fleet Street Quarter Festival of Words are:
Booker Prize-winning author Ben Okri on new novel Madame Sosostris and the Festival for the Brokenhearted.
Kate Mosse OBE on the history of the Women’s Prize as it celebrates its 30th year, and the 20th anniversary of the first publication of her groundbreaking novel Labyrinth.
Screenwriter Ed Docx and author Mick Herron on the process of bringing TV hit Slow Horses from book to screen.
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Iain Dale, and Sir Richard Evans discuss history’s lessons from the careers of its most notorious Dictators .
Jeremy Vine presents new crime fiction series, Murder on Line One, alongside fellow broadcaster and writer Simon Mayo who discusses gripping thriller Black Tag.
Kate Loveman taps into the history of Fleet Street Quarter with a talk on Samuel Pepys’ Diary.
Nick Wallis (The Great Post Office Scandal) and Caroline Wheeler (Death in the Blood) appear in an event which spotlights the power of long-form investigative journalism.
Chief Historian at Historic Royal Palaces, Professor Tracy Borman OBE on the real Wolf Hall and the life of Thomas Cromwell.
Breakfast events with The Times and the Daily Telegraph to explore the biggest news headlines for the day.
OPPORTUNITY: Bath Novel awards - Submissions until May 31
The Bath Novel Award is a £5,000 prize for adult and YA manuscripts in every genre. The Bath Children’s Novel Award is a £5,000 prize for children’s & YA manuscripts. Both prizes are open worldwide to unagented writers who are unpublished, self-published or independently published. Recipients include Abi Daré for the manuscript of international bestseller The Girl with the Louding Voice, new James Bond author Kim Sherwood for the manuscript of Testament and AP Firdaus for BBC Between the Covers pick Remember, Mr Sharma.
The Bath Novel Award 2025 entry fee is £29.99 per novel, with sponsored places available for writers on a low income.
NEWS: 10 most Intagrammable bookshops in the world (list below)
I love a bookshop - and in a world where the perfect Instagram shot can drive tourism and foot traffic, bookshops with stunning interiors and unique designs have found new life through social media. From spiral staircases and floating books to hidden nooks and artistic displays, these literary havens offer more than just books—they provide the perfect backdrop for social media posts that capture both beauty and culture. These 10 are winning at Instagram book life.
“Beautiful bookshops have always existed, but social media has given them a new platform to shine,” says Taskeen Ahmed, founder of UK-based sustainable bookseller Awesome Books. “We wanted to discover which bookshops around the world are capturing people's imagination and getting the most attention online.”
1. The Last Bookstore, Los Angeles, USA (113,000 followers)
2. Livraria Lello, Porto, Portugal, 97,900
3. Shakespeare and Company, Paris, France, 96,500 (I’ve been there it’s beautiful)
4. BookPeople, Texas, USA, 72,300
5. Powell's Books, Oregon, USA, 69,100
6. Libreria Acqua Alta, Venice, Italy, 52,900
7. National Book Store, Metro Manila, Philippines 42,800
.8 Strand Book Store, New York, USA, 37,900
9. Daunt Books, London, England, 31,900
10. Books Actually, Singapore, Singapore 25,200
Have a great week all, Nx