Hurst And Last

I’ve just got back from The Hurst in Shropshire, the venue for the final retreat week of the Arvon/Jerwood mentoring scheme.

The initiative will draw to a close in June when us nine mentees launch an anthology of work produced while on the yearlong scheme.

And there’ll be an if:book digital anthology too, filled with audio/visual versions of our writing.

These digital tasters were filmed and recorded while at The Hurst – mine incorporates my love of radio soundscapes to bring to life a scene about digging.

Cue plenty of spade effects and panting!

The retreat was also a chance to up my word count on my novel- in-progress Mother Tongue and to finesse the words that are already there.

The Hurst was the perect place to do this. The former home of playwright John Osborne is hidden deep in the beautiful Shropshire hills where owls hoot to one another in the breaking dawn and where deer skitter ahead of you as you walk through the woods.

Here are some images from my last trip, including the stunning view from the window by my desk.