Before I stepped down from my role as Head of Online Courses at The Unthank School of Writing to focus on my own writing, my final project was a very pleasant one indeed. With my old friend and colleague Ashley Stokes, Head of School, I jointly edited Unveiled: The First Unthank School Anthology. Having canvassed students old and new last year, we had dozens of excellent submissions to work through towards an agonising final selection, intended to showcase new writing talent as well as the ongoing work of the teaching team and the school. The quality of this collection and, indeed, the material we had to leave out speaks volumes for staff and students alike and I remain very proud to have been a part of this project. Thus far the reviews have been excellent, and I highly recommend you go and check this collection out, and maybe some Unthank Creative Writing Courses too. (The launch party was a blast as well.)

You can read the Storgy Magazine Review here, and the SkyLightRain Review here.

The book is available direct from the publishers and you can also find it on Amazon and for Kindle and, I’m sure, in all good bookshops.

You can check out Unthank School courses – face-to-face and online workshops – here, and to work with me please visit my website.

As the man who started it all, Ashley introduced Unveiled, and I shall leave you with his thoughts…

AN INTRODUCTION TO UNVEILED: THE FIRST UNTHANK SCHOOL ANTHOLOGY

All revolutions start with five people meeting in an upstairs room

It will be raining outside and early in the week as well as the year. Christmas decorations will have not long been put back in their boxes. One of the lights won’t be working. One of the windows will rattle. Some of the assembled are caught up in a grand dream already, and some only here to explore the possibilities. Some are old hands, some novices. Everyone has something that they want to contribute. Everyone has something to say and something to share.

This was the atmosphere that surrounded the first ever Unthank School of Writing workshop, which took place in January 2011 at the York Tavern in Norwich. And like all revolutions, this one has produced a book.

The book that you hold in your hands contains stories that brim with the storytelling verve, imagination and talent of writers we have supported during the first seven years of the Unthank School. All are the product of hard work and commitment and all will tell you something about what we are about and what we cultivate…

To read the complete introduction please click here.