Obviously correct. There have been attempts at the great Birmingham novel, by Jonathan Coe and David Lodge for example. Plus the loveliest novel ever written is set in Brum in the 1920s: Living by Henry Green.
A good review, except that the reviewer thinks Birmingham is Bristol (!!). [later note: this has now been corrected online] Otherwise very happy. Here's the full text (2nd part in a comment below):
Philip Womack, Times Literary Supplement April 2026:
The short (sometimes very short) stories in this new collection by Alan Beard are largely set in grim suburbs, scuzzy flats, deprived streets and crumbling office blocks. They are strange, poetic hymns to decay and disorder, to a world of “wastespace, demolished factories, piles of brick and abandoned hills of sand”. Beard’s protagonists are alienated, obsessive and given to fantasy, existing in a milieu of admin clerks, raves and universal credit. The prose is smoothly lyrical, peppered with unusual imagery: “His fingers like seaweed, light but insistent, only drag you down to shipwreck”.
His characters push at the limits of behaviour. In the first story, “Two Parties”, a teenage boy obsesses over a girl at a house party; years later, he follows her to another party in a grand house, where he assaults her in front of her husband and the hedonistic participants, enacting a grim dream of power. Similarly, in “Inside”, the female narrator, suffering from the effects of the Covid lockdown, lies about having a son called Craig and considers kidnapping and harming a real child. Many of the stories ache with sadness, such as “The Room Peels”, in which a man is kicked out by his wife; estranged from his son and trapped in a bedsit, he slowly descends into auditory hallucinations, living in filth.
Though there are often moments of sudden violence, the characters more often appear immobilized by their circumstances or their psychologies. When young Jimmy is taken hostage by his father, and is threatened in full view of his neighbours, one of his friends simply comments, “things like that are always happening round here”. The title story, “Afternoon Drinking”, opens with a woman staring at her husband’s dead body at the bottom of the stairs, wondering if she should call the police. Did she kill him? We are never told, but with mordant humour, we learn of his life as a petty criminal and abuser. There are no ea
daughter Grace’s reading went very well at Storie (run by Voce Books). Here’s what one audience member said: mighty shout out to Grace who was my favourite of the night for her gritty and uncomfortable piece about the contested and blurry space of teenaged female sexual awakening. She kept us cringing right on the edge of where it all goes horribly wrong; brave enough to take us there and elegant enough to know where to stop. Masterful. (@chriswithawitcheye ) photos: Grace reading; poster for the event; my daughters at the gig). Must also say the other writers, Jake Treleaze, Ben Waddington and Laura Blake were great too!
Daughter Grace’s first fiction reading is at Kilder Bar, Birmingham on 16th April, part of the Storie series run by Voce Books. Tickets (free, but limited numbers) available from Eventbrite. Proud dad emoji.
REMINDER! Come meet the Floodgate team and writer Alan Beard @beardalan182 to talk small press life in Birmingham! Free flowing chat about indie life, submissions, the publishing process, what it means to be a ‘kitchen table publisher’ and what we are working on next. All hosted by the incomparable @helenxwriter . 17th March at 7pm. Ticket link in bio.
Visit to Marrakesh. Some welcome sun! Included - mint tea: our waiter liked this photo so much he asked us to send him a copy. Bahia Palace, Ouzoud Waterfall, Menorah Gardens etc.
Roll up roll up! Drumroll please - there's an unmissable literary event coming up, in which the founders, editors and writers of Floodgate Press will share stories, secrets, solutions and suggestions.
Floodgate Press is all about pushing new voices, unknown voices, under-explored voices and showing that when it comes to it, there are no limits.
In this revealing online event we will be highlighting the vibrant literary scene in Birmingham and the West Midlands and the breadth and depth of talent it contains.
I will host the event, during which Peter and Nigel will talk about the hows/whys/whens of setting up Floodgate Press, their ambitions, successes and frustrations.
These insights will be fascinating for anyone interested in how publishing works, or who would like to work in this vibrant industry.
Author Alan Beard will share highlights from his writing life and discuss his motivation, inspiration, process and his newest book, Afternoon Drinking.
Helen and Nigel will also discuss Fire Damage, Nigel's first novel and Floodgate’s third book. They’ll explore the real-life inspiration, the fact that the Birmingham Blitz – the third largest in the country – is often overlooked.
The second half of the evening will include a discussion of what the editors are looking for in submissions that are now open for Floodgate's next short story collection, The Ghosts of Gravelly Hill.
This evening is a must for anyone who loves reading and independent presses, those who'd like to be included in the upcoming anthology or who would like to write for Floodgate Press in the future.
An open-to-all question-and-answer session will conclude this fun and revealing event.
The event costs £5. redeemable against any Floodgate Press book via their website. All proceeds from the event will go to Floodgate to help publish more new writing from this region.
Do join us to support independent writers, books and publishing.
Booking link in my bio above👆 and on Floodgate website.
#shortstories #independentpublisher #onlinewriting #floodgatepress #birmingham #independentpress
#digbethstories #nighttimeeconomyanthology #independentauthors #independentauthorsofinstagram
![A good review, except that the reviewer thinks Birmingham is Bristol (!!). [later note: this has now been corrected online] Otherwise very happy. Here's the full text (2nd part in a comment below):Philip Womack, Times Literary Supplement April 2026:The short (sometimes very short) stories in this new collection by Alan Beard are largely set in grim suburbs, scuzzy flats, deprived streets and crumbling office blocks. They are strange, poetic hymns to decay and disorder, to a world of “wastespace, demolished factories, piles of brick and abandoned hills of sand”. Beard’s protagonists are alienated, obsessive and given to fantasy, existing in a milieu of admin clerks, raves and universal credit. The prose is smoothly lyrical, peppered with unusual imagery: “His fingers like seaweed, light but insistent, only drag you down to shipwreck”.His characters push at the limits of behaviour. In the first story, “Two Parties”, a teenage boy obsesses over a girl at a house party; years later, he follows her to another party in a grand house, where he assaults her in front of her husband and the hedonistic participants, enacting a grim dream of power. Similarly, in “Inside”, the female narrator, suffering from the effects of the Covid lockdown, lies about having a son called Craig and considers kidnapping and harming a real child. Many of the stories ache with sadness, such as “The Room Peels”, in which a man is kicked out by his wife; estranged from his son and trapped in a bedsit, he slowly descends into auditory hallucinations, living in filth.Though there are often moments of sudden violence, the characters more often appear immobilized by their circumstances or their psychologies. When young Jimmy is taken hostage by his father, and is threatened in full view of his neighbours, one of his friends simply comments, “things like that are always happening round here”. The title story, “Afternoon Drinking”, opens with a woman staring at her husband’s dead body at the bottom of the stairs, wondering if she should call the police. Did she kill him? We are never told, but with mordant humour, we learn of his life as a petty criminal and abuser. There are no ea](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6739606321584667677255_0_42e6d521d6de34ceddc9409d6a73ae5a.jpg?o=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&h=5bdf468c8f29782db701e4074459cbbe)
