Literature & Spoken Word

In the medieval world’s heart of darkness, did the Vikings go to Fleetwood market? Queer Amusements writer-in-residence Jane Claire Bradley returns to explore Norse underworlds, death goddesses and more. Last time I shared an update on my research for my Queer Amusements residency, I explored the Norse history of Blackpool and the surrounding areas. Since then, I’ve been continuing to dive deeper into that research, and there’s been a recurrent theme in it I’ve found fascinating: the idea of the North as a portal to hell.  Of all the compass points from which terror might emanate, there was one which…

Blackpool library service has launched its Summer Reading Challenge with prizes for finishing books. Aimed at school age children, the Summer Reading Challenge is a national initiative from The Reading Agency, delivered in partnership with public libraries across the country. To complete the challenge, children must read four books over the summer break. They can read any books they like – storybooks, picture books, novels, non-fiction, eBooks and audiobooks all count. They can read the books on their own, or with the help of parents/carers. Families with children can visit their local library to sign up for the Summer Reading…

As part of our series bringing you poetry about Blackpool and written by Blackpool poets, local artist, writer and potter, Joseph Travis launches his own series within a series. Poetry by the Sea is a series of short poems with accompanying illustrations inspired by the Fylde Coast. Here Travis shares his first three on the theme of crabbing. Crabbing 1 I remember as a child My brother having a crabbing line And I was so jealous That I made my own A length of string And a smooth pebble I tied the pebble into the string Smashed open cockles And…

As part of our series bringing you poetry about Blackpool and written by Blackpool poets, queer non-binary poet Taylor Jai, AKA The Blackpool Bard, shares a missive about young people rising up to show older generations that they are the future. "I imagine it being like a distorted Teletubby revolution," they say. "I can imagine an army of Teletubbies marching on Downing Street, with tanks and tomahawks, AK-47's and Glitter Bombs! Total Queer Insane Carnage!" The Teletubbies Have Tomahawks The Blackpool Bard In Teletubby Land, where the sun once did gleam, Now tomahawks glisten, like part of a dream. In…

As part of series bringing you poetry about Blackpool and written by Blackpool poets, James Panter shares a few verses to honour those that gave their lives for us all. His poem, inspired by Remembrance Day and revived for Armed Forces Week, it loosely based on his great grandad (pictured), who served in the First World War and later in the Second as a radio operator. Letter To Mother James Panter Dearest mother, it’s your son William With what little time I have I thought I’d write you to check in on you and dad, how are you two? How’s…

Investigating Viking history and myth, local lore and Norse sorcery, Queer Amusements writer-in-residence Jane Claire Bradley returns to share some of her research so far Hot tip: researching material about the Viking heritage of Blackpool and the surrounding area will initially turn up tons of search results about the Viking Hotel and Valhalla, the Pleasure Beach’s award-winning dark ride log flume, named for the great hall in Norse mythology where the warrior dead congregate after being killed in battle. I’m no expert, and until now I’ve never explored the Norse myths in depth, but a few concepts like Valhalla are…

Queer Amusements writer-in-residence Jane Claire Bradley returns with her latest column A collection of obsessive thoughts about Travis Alabanza and David Hoyle, who’ve both been recent tonics to my soul... Legendary Blackpool-born performance artist David Hoyle has had a special place in my heart since my teenage years, when I saw 1998 cult classic Velvet Goldmine for the first time. David’s character Freddi was one of many in the film’s assemblage of ridiculous, flawed, flamboyantly-attired and over-the-top personalities that over the course of countless repeat viewings burrowed deep into my imagination and brain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mE7rV9EvRhA I didn’t know it at the…

Charles Dickens was a great chronicler of Victorian life, but in the 1840s he became part of the story – founding a house for "fallen women", and designing every detail of it down to the women's clothing. Lancashire-born author Stacey Halls picks up the threads of truth to weave The Household, her latest tale of historical fiction. She tells Josie Hindle where she abandoned the facts and let the fiction take charge. In a quiet house in the countryside outside London, the finishing touches are being made to welcome a group of young women. The house and its location are…

In the latest of our series of poems by local writers, Sarah Caulfield shares The Last Week of Your Life. Based on being a Northern, state-school, disabled student at Cambridge University, it was first published in their collection Discomfort (2021) by Headmistress Press. Main image: artwork by the author. The Last Week of Your Life by Sarah Caulfield The world warps and holds like a reality television show. Everyone is laughing. Everyone is smiling. The fishbowl effect. It feels as though I could put my hand through the glass and touch the flowers and the stars, limn my mouth with…

Award-winning writer and performer Jane Claire Bradley introduces a new regular column as part of her residency at this year's Queer Amusements festival I'm here, queer and excited to share more on what I'll be exploring as writer-in-residence for Queer Amusements and Blackpool Social Club this summer... Hiya! I’m Jane Claire Bradley, the first ever writer-in-residence for the first ever Queer Amusements. I’m a queer, working-class writer, performer, educator and mental health practitioner, and I write both fiction and non-fiction in the form of short stories, novels, essays and performance poetry. My debut novel came out last year, and I’m…