iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 1h

Why 'is led by' rather than 'features'? I notice most press coverage of literary prizes uses this perspective, as if it's the run-up to an election.

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Jordan @jordanpfot.bsky.social · 7h

I accidentally spent £17,700 on 400 subscriptions to the LRB for Home Office staff and now the Life in the UK test is asking applicants to rank Derek Jarman films from most to least emotionally resonant?

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 7h

Congratulations to all six authors and especially to @aeavvw.bsky.social for 'Attention-seeking Behaviour', a superb debut. Here she is launching the book at one of our cultish online gatherings.

Author Aea Varfis-van Warmelo at the online launch of her debut novel 'Attention-seeking Behaviour' (which has today been shortlisted for the 2026 Goldsmiths Prize)

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Luke O'Neil @lukeoneil47.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The byline left up there like a head on a spike outside a castle

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

This Wednesday 30th online at 8pm: Broken Sleep Books showcase a cohort of their authors including Amy McCauley and Nicky Arscott, collaborating on 'The Ballad of Melody Nelson'. www.brokensleepbooks.com/product-page... Tickets here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/broken-sle...

eventbrite.co.uk

Broken Sleep Books September 2026 Launch

Readers: Alicia Byrne Keane, Pascal Fallas, Rachel Burns, Abi Weaver, Nicky Arscott & Amy McCauley, Lenni Sanders, John Whitehouse

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Start your week with 90 minutes of thoughtful exchanges between the ebullient Californian polymath Gerry Fialka and (in Manchester) the author and photographer Anne Worthington. Good for the soul, and an antidote to the honking banalities of our public figures.

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Tony White @tonywhite.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Literature Live — next episode of my monthly radio books programme is Monday 12 October 2026, 8:00–9:00pm. My guests this month are @lukekennard.bsky.social and @judecook.bsky.social — readings and chat with the emphasis on writers reading from their fiction. @resonancefm.bsky.social — don’t miss!

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

On pp. 388/389 there's a recipe for Spaghetti Carbonara which is one of the sexiest things I've ever read.

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

This great novel came out in June and reviews are now trickling in from readers who have (naturally, rightly) taken a couple of months to tackle the 750 pages. It's not a book to be galloped through, but one to inhabit for an extended period. Read Jeff's excellent review - and be like Jeff!

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Alphabetically by director Distant Voices, Still Lives (Terence Davies) Kind Hearts and Coronets (Robert Hamer) The 39 Steps (Alfred Hitchcock) Listen to Britain (Humphrey Jennings) The Third Man (Carol Reed)

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Last night the legendary Gerry Fialka 'innerviewed' photographer and author Anne Worthington - the best conversation you'll overhear this week. www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVcv...

youtube.com

InnerViews#855 Anne Worthington Writer Photographer

YouTube video by I'm Probably Wrong About Everything

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

eventbrite.co.uk

Broken Sleep Books September 2026 Launch

Readers: Alicia Byrne Keane, Pascal Fallas, Rachel Burns, Abi Weaver, Nicky Arscott & Amy McCauley, Lenni Sanders, John Whitehouse

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Live now (just started):Gerry Fialka 'innerviews' photographer and author Anne Worthington. www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVcv...

youtube.com

InnerViews#855 Anne Worthington Writer Photographer

YouTube video by I'm Probably Wrong About Everything

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Tonight, live at 8pm (BST) Gerry Fialka 'innerviews' writer and photographer Anne Worthington. Not to be missed! www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVcv...

youtube.com

InnerViews#855 Anne Worthington Writer Photographer

YouTube video by I'm Probably Wrong About Everything

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Marking three years since the publication of 'Sports and Social' by @kevinboniface.bsky.social

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

An astonishing debut! The deluxe edition is likely to be the most beautifully produced book you'll ever own. I'm on my third reading.

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

"A terrific selection and a terrific idea!" "Always enjoy these, but this is a particularly fine edition. There's a module's worth of learning in this one." "My absolute favourite Personal Anthology so far - genuinely a real treasure & with marvelous introductions to each piece. 10/10." 👇 😊

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JW Mason @jwmason.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

This is the master key to deciphering contemporary debates about free speech. www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/se...

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

'Science Fantasy' was about to be re-launched as 'Impulse' and the first issue had a jaw-dropping cohort of contributors.

A list of authors appearing in the first issue of 'Impulse' science-fiction magazine in 1966: Brian ALDISS, Poul ANDERSON, J. G. BALLARD, James BLISH and Harry HARRISON.

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Thanks to Ray Davis for sharing a link to M John Harrison's debut short story 'Marina' which appeared in Science Fantasy magazine in 1966. archive.org/details/Scie...

M John Harrison (writing as John Harrison) in issue 81v24 of Science Fantasy magazine (1966) - his first story to appear in print, 'About a girl who remembered the sea and looked for it in an attic'.

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Reith and wreath are glum homophones.

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Ray Newman @raynewman.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

"As I write this I learn that the popular and hugely profitable UK magazine Take a Break is about to generate all its published fiction by using AI."

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Damn. I clearly have to rethink my feelings about Banksy and, come to that, every other artist. Did Jack Vettriano fund a hospice?

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David Hayden @seventydys.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Thanks to David Collard for choosing my story ‘The Auctioneer’ as part of his Personal Anthology. And much gratitude to the memory of Ciaran Carson who published it first all those years ago in The Yellow Nib.

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

My Goldsmith Prize shortlist Simon Crump 'Post-it Notes from Underground' S J Fowler 'Barabus' Stu Henningan 'Keshed' David Henningham 'Foulness' Guillermo Stitch 'The Coast of Everything' Aea Varfis van-Warmelo 'Attention-seeking Behaviour' Isabel Waidner 'As If' Tony White 'Phantom at the Feast'

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Oh my good god. The jury responses are fabulous. But I gots to know: was it the defence or the prosecution who thought it would be a good idea to share this stuff?

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

If I went out on Friday nights I'd play this on a loop as I got togged up. Nicky Arscott and the Crabfish with Amy McCauley's vocals perform 'The Crayfish', featuring vulvas on horseback and exploding crustaceans. Imagine Wet Leg, but lobsters. A total banger. www.youtube.com/watch?v=tda6...

youtube.com

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Rachel Malik @rachelmalik.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

This is fascinating by @davidcollard.bsky.social on first published stories. Some were rewritten many times, others have gone missing. The opening line of M. John Harrison’s Marina, and discovering Ford Maddox Ford’s close analysis of the opening of a D H Lawrence are my favourite moments.

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I enjoyed compiling this list of auspicious debuts by some favourite writers, including (among the living) M. John Harrison, Jonathan Meades, David Hayden, Sara Baume, Drew Gummerson and Wendy Erskine. Jonathan's summary (below) sounds unsettlingly like 'The Monkey's Paw' by W. W. Jacobs.

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

As featured in last night's online gathering. A savagely hilarious satire about men at war. Vonnegut turned up to 11. Strongly recommended!

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Dave Vetter @davidrvetter.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Happy Kicked In The Head By A Horse Day, to all who celebrate. It's the 7th anniversary of this absolute banger.

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

This was fun to do - and I adopt a new approach to selecting my dozen short stories AS YOU WILL SEE.

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LJ Pemberton @ljabouttown.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

What a fantastic literary gathering, POST MODERN, organized by @davidcollard.bsky.social! Theme? Writers who work or have worked in the postal service! Featured: Kevin Boniface, Paul Kavanaugh, Tony White, and Susanna Crossman. (I’ll link their work in 🧵below.)

Screenshot of everyone gathered for “POST MODERN,” an evening of writers who work, or have worked, in the postal service.

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Bart⚓️ @bartgonnissen.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

The Facial Expressions of Tethys by artist Julius von Bismarck. A suspended high-sea buoy that moves in real time. Sensors on a twin buoy out in the Atlantic Ocean send live satellite data to motors inside the museum. This makes the indoor buoy copy the exact, real-time movements of the ocean waves.

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

'Post Modern' - an evening of back-to-back highlights, with thanks to @kevinboniface.bsky.social, @susannacrossman.bsky.social, Paul Kavanagh and @tonywhite.bsky.social

Kevin Boniface effortlessly reduces a sophisticated international audience to puddles of helpless laughter.

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Susanna's letter to Gaston Bachelard deserves publication! A portal. Thanks to all who came and took part in a marvellous gathering.

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

PS No DMs so please email me via m'website for an invitation. All welcome! davidjcollard.wixsite.com/my-site

davidjcollard.wixsite.com

Home | My Site

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

This evening at 7pm (BST). Free, and all welcome. If not already invited you can contact me via my website: davidjcollard.wixsite.com/my-site

davidjcollard.wixsite.com

Home | My Site

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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Not a dicky bird about thugs trying to sink a dinghy with a rescue worker on board or their claims to be "forming an army". Two boats of people seeking safety land and bingo bango they're the ones portrayed as the issue. Labour is complict in the rise of the far right. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Home Secretary hits out at 'unacceptable' migrant landings in Kent

Usually brought ashore by Border Security Command or the RNLI, these are the first uncontrolled landings since 2025.

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Full marks to Bluemoose for publishing this wonderful novel in hardback, and now as a very affordable paperback. One of my 2026 fiction highlights.

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Thursday 24th September at 7pm (BST) join me and authors Kevin Boniface, Susanna Crossman Paul Kavanagh & Tony White for POST MODERN, an online event featuring writers connected with postal services. Free & all welcome. If not already invited email me via m'website: davidjcollard.wixsite.com/my-site

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Broken Sleep Books @brokensleepbooks.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

The Ballad of Malady Nelson is a poetry comic that builds with momentum, each panel swallowing the lines before it until a single sentence has grown into a catalogue of chronic illness, botched surgery, and care that never arrives. www.brokensleepbooks.com/product-page...

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Guillermo Stitch @guillermostitch.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

"Not for anyone looking for a very neat package of a book . . . for the reader looking for something that might surprise them." Grateful for these kind words from @ljabouttown.bsky.social at Goodreads. Do leave some words, kind or otherwise, if you read the book. www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

goodreads.com

See what your friends are reading

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David Collard @davidcollard.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

You set a high rhetorical bar, Orator Vance, although your weird president's name literally means 'fart' in my country, and when we think of you, if we think of you at all, we think of you as toe jam in the sweaty foot of democracy.

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