A local press, a Birmingham Blitz thriller, and ghosts on the horizon 👻
We're delighted to welcome Peter Haynes and Nigel Proctor of Floodgate Press to the Sutton Coldfield Literary Arts Festival for Fact, Fiction and Everything in Between.
Hear the story behind why they set up an independent press right here in the area, the books they've published, what they look for in submissions, and a sneak peek at their forthcoming collection The Ghosts of Gravelly Hill.
Nigel will also talk about his debut novel Fire Damage - a police procedural set during the Birmingham Blitz in November 1940, inspired by real family stories. A sequel, Fire Break, is coming spring 2027.
Both sessions include a Q&A. Local publishing, local stories, local pride.
Floodgate Press: 4:30pm - 5:30pm, Saturday 12th September
Link to reserve your space available on the 'LAF' highlight on our profile.
#suttoncoldfieldtownhall #LiteraryArtsFestival #SuttonColdfield #FloodgatePress #IndependentPublishing
Read a great review of @beardalan182 ’s Afternoon Drinking on the @the.tls website. ‘an extraordinary, compelling collection’ with ‘smoothly lyrical’ writing.
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.
Available now!
The Middle of Everywhere, our latest epub of Midlands writing. For less than a quid you can travel from Clent to the canals, from the valleys to the top of the Wrekin. Download now for your e-reader of choice! Link in bio.
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
See our website for submission guidelines for our next print anthology Ghosts of Gravelly Hill, Tales of a City in Flux /submissions. Deadline end of March 2026. Send your best work on the theme. We look forward to reading your work. Please share! #submissions #shortstory #writing
🗣️ ALAN BEARD: AFTERNOON DRINKING - THURSDAY 6TH NOVEMBER 2025
📚 Kicking eyes back to our fantastic launch a couple of weeks ago with a master of short-form fiction & one of the best writers we are lucky to have here in Birmingham @beardalan182 on the publication day of his brand-new & long-awaited @floodgatepress collection AFTERNOON DRINKING.
Sat opposite a likewise expert of the form in @wednesdayerskin Alan gave us a evening of insights gleaned over years of dedication to his craft, opening up on the ordinary/extraordinary places & people that give him the impetus & ideas for his stories. Do Alan's characters talk to him when he's writing? You bet they do!
Another brilliant night with incredible writers sharing with us their devotion to writing, & another celebration of the real depth & quality of the Birmingham literary scene, indicated by so many of the people that have made it thus in attendance.
📸 Huge thanks to our friend @ughhperi for stepping in to capture these beautiful images of the night. The smiles say it all...!
✒️ Copies of AFTERNOON DRINKING are in stock at Voce Books, priced £10.99.
🎟️ Take a look at the link in our bio for the remaining events in our Autumn/Winter 2025 season of events featuring the very finest in contemporary fiction, translation, new-writing, poetry, language & thought.
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#alanbeard #afternoondrinking #floodgatepress #wendyerskine #vocebooksevents #vocebooks #vocebooksbirmingham #bookevents #events #independentbookshop #independentbookseller #independentbookselling #books #bookstagram #bookselling #birmingham #digbeth #thewarehousebirmingham
Last night we celebrated publishing @beardalan182 ’s new collection of short fiction Afternoon Drinking at the excellent @vocebooks . Thanks to them for all the hard work they put into their events, to @wednesdayerskin for MCing and to everyone who packed the room for another sold out event!
