Friday 7 June 2019

Welcome to Spineless Authors' Night, a new monthly event in which authors, poets and anyone experimenting with language will have the opportunity to perform their work in front of an intimate crowd.

At core, Spineless is a literary 'open mic' night. Each month, established guest authors will share a platform with new, emerging and practicing writers from the audience. If you would like to read your work, please contact us at spinelessauthors@gmail.com If you're tempted to dip your toe but don't want to commit, simply turn up on the night with your work in hand and step up if the mood takes you.

The idea behind Spineless came out of a frustration with the solitude of the writer's craft. For those struggling to gain a foothold in the publishing world, it can be difficult to reach an end point, to 'road test' or gain feedback on one's work. With Spineless we aim to create an open, nurturing environment for authors to present their writing.
It also strikes us as a shame how rarely adults experience being read to. It is, it seems, one of the joys of childhood that we tend to leave behind. With Spineless Authors' Night, we hope to rectify this. Will our adult audience be as attentive as a school class at story time? We shall see...

The first Spineless Authors' Night will take place on the 10th July at The Clapton Hart pub, 231 Lower Clapton Road, London E5 8EG, from 8.30PM until 10PM.

This month we are thrilled to welcome the wonderful Julia Armfield. Providing support will be Russell Walker and Christian Butler-Zanetti.

'Armfield is an enormous, gut-wrenching talent'
Daisy Johnson, author of 'Everything Under'

'Salt Slow is exemplary. A distinct new gothic, melancholy, powerful and poised.'
China Mieville, author of 'The City & The City'

Julia Armfield is a fiction writer and playwright with a Masters in Victorian Art and Literature from Royal Holloway University. Her work has been published in Lighthouse, Analog Magazine, Neon Magazine and The Stockholm Review. She was commended in the Moth Short Story Prize 2017, longlisted for the Deborah Rogers Prize 2018 and is winner of The White Review Short Story Prize 2018. Her short story collection, 'Salt Slow', was published by Pan MacMillan this year.

https://www.rcwlitagency.com/authors/julia-armfield/



Russell Walker is lead singer of The Pheromoans and The Bomber Jackets. As well as a myriad of musical, spoken word and noise projects, Russell has been writing bleak, absurd and hilarious short stories for many years.

'When Small Towns Act Tough' is a particular delight, and is available through Walker's own Larching Press.

http://larchingbooks.blogspot.com/



Christian Butler-Zanetti is an author, visual artist and musician. For many years he published short stories through his own Broken Umbrella Press. More recently his stories have found their way into The London Magazine, Popshot Quarterly and Scribble. His story 'Bruises and Pixie-Boots' was published by Savoury Days and can be found here.

Christian is the instigator of Spineless Authors' Night.

https://christianbutlerzanetti.wordpress.com/