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Mike Fox

@polyscribe70.bsky.social
360 followers 214 following 1.4K posts

Short story writer, delinquent poetry reader. Ballerini Book Press, Fictive Dream, The Lonely Press, Confingo, Fragmented Voices, Structo, Nightjar Press, BBSS18 Salt Publishing, Exacting Clam polyscribe.co.uk

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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Very enigmatic, Kieran - I saw it almost in photographs. It would be interesting too to see it expanded because there seem so many places it could go. Btw, forgive me for reading less at the moment - trying to arrange a house move is taking up quite a lot of space.
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Sherry Morris 💙🇺🇦💛 @uksherka.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
What gardening tips does cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin offer to a London gardener who has lost her green thumb? Listen to Sherry's Shorts today at noon UK time today on HHR.Scot. Or listen anytime with the link: www.mixcloud.com/invernesshr/...
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Rosanna McGlone @rosannamcglone.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Lovely feedback from my ss on The Cord last night 'It's so tender' 'She says 'you' she's speaking for all mothers' 'Did you notice there r 17 stanzas, and her daughter wld leave at 18?' 'First the daughter gulps, and then the mum.' 'It cld be a metaphorical fog' 'She's letting go for a second time'
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Thanks, Rosanna. It may well not progress, but it's a lovely endorsement from my publsher.
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Thanks so much, Martina - I didn't see it coming!
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Snapshots that travel beyond the focus of the lens. Imagery that speaks of a mindset. Love this involving story by @grahammort.bsky.social. Such concision.
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I haven't delved extensively, but it looks a treasure trove. I wouldn't be surprised if the tape is unearthed. JMC is so elusive, isn't he? I was very disappointed by the biography, also Hilary Spurling's dismissal of him as a 'minor novelist' when questioned (by me) at our local lit soc.
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Traced the interview - no longer available, alas, but here's a Guardian article, supposed to be about it, though I can't see a direct reference: www.theguardian.com/books/2012/d...
theguardian.com
DJ Taylor: rereading Julian Maclaren-Ross
By day he'd drink in Soho dens, in the early hours he'd write some of the best short stories of the 1940s. DJ Taylor on the mysterious, rackety life of Julian Maclaren-Ross
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
No luck with the 1964 interview, but I did find this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9Kp...
youtube.com
The Memories of Tristram Powell
YouTube video by Anthony Powell Soc
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
It might be on the Anthony Powell Society website. I'll have a look, but if it is it might not be available to non-members.
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
What a wonderfully evocative poem.
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
A terrific selection and a terrific idea!
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Thanks, Seán. I suspect this is as far as I'll get, but it's great to have my publisher's faith.
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Bless you, Sarah - caught me by surprise, I must admit.
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Delighted that @sigelliterarypress.bsky.social has entered my collection, Blurred Edges, into the Firecrackers 2027 Awards for Independent Publishers, hosted by the Community of Literary Magazine and Presses. Warmest thanks to Renée for this kind show of faith.
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Did she study with William Coldstream by any chance?
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
I agree!
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Thanks, Rosanna - very gentle betrayals, if at all. Just to make them sit as well together as possible.
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Doesn't seem weird, Stephen. The mind has its own associations, as does the heart.
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
I'd say you're the innocent party, Ian. It's not so unusual for writers to request a story removal really, and could be seen as a courtesy on the publisher's part if they decide to agree.
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Something similar happened in a contest for which I was shortlisted. The winner's undeclared publication was deemed an 'irregularity' once discovered, and the prize was withdrawn. It's a tricky area really, but ultimately I feel it's the writer's responsibility to be transparent.
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Thinking ahead and roughing out another collection, with much to think about. Choosing between stories with overlapping themes, close or repeating terms of expression, even in one instance changing a title. In the case of older stories difficult not to feel unfaithful...
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Kieran Wyatt @kieranstories.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
New domain name! I’ve paid for the privallge of a .blog address. I can’t imagine how many thousands of visitors this will drive to the site 😎 kieranstorieswriter.blog/2026/09/03/o...
kieranstorieswriter.blog
On new short fiction: Cancer of the Skull
‘I heard on the radio,’ Mum sips her coffee, ‘that inner peace is only possible if you are focused on one thing. She points one finger forward, presumably towards the one thing she is, or will be, …
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Sherry Morris 💙🇺🇦💛 @uksherka.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
September's Sherry's Shorts feature stories of Abeyance, of resting, of inactivity...that lead to change. Plus, I play my favourite Dolly tune. Thanks for supporting local radio! Listen Again link: www.mixcloud.com/invernesshr/...
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Indeed!
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Very grateful to Aiden O'Reilly for his insight and subtlety of thought in this review of my collection Blurred Edges @sigelliterarypress.bsky.social. His conclusion is especially prescient as my next book will be a novella! bookmunch.wordpress.com/2026/08/29/a...
bookmunch.wordpress.com
“A collection of delicious stories” – Blurred Edges by Mike Fox
“This is a collection of delicious stories, some of them self-contained, some glimpses of a life, and some portray hilarious modern predicaments. Nobody would regret bringing this book on a l…
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
No attitude from this end either, but I agree. In the past I've suggested a collection/anthology of contemporary stories by men, to no interest whatsoever...
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Sherry Morris 💙🇺🇦💛 @uksherka.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Sherry's Shorts is back after taking a summer break. Listen to the new episode today at noon UK time on hhr.scot. Two stories of abeyance--of inactivity, of stillness--or so it seems... but perhaps there is something brewing beneath the stillness... You gotta listen to find out!
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
It looks like it, Cathy...
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
If we ever meet we could end up with clashing attire, Cathy.
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Sagging Meniscus @saggingmeniscus.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
On our home page as of today, in response to MANY reports of scam emails. Be careful out there!
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
In case you missed Hannah's Bookshelf on Saturday and would like to catch up, here's the link: www.mixcloud.com/Hannahs_Book... In the second half Hannah kindly reviewed my new collection Blurred Edges @sigelliterarypress.bsky.social
mixcloud.com
Hannah's Bookshelf Pick And Mix - 05/09/2026
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Thanks, Caroline - I only came upon it this weekend. I know Aiden because he, David and I are all trying to promote David Wheldon's writing.
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Can apply to so many things, good therapy, for instance - looking carefully with a lack of assumption.
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
A beautiful story, thank you.
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
I saw him live several decades apart. All the songs stood up.
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
I certainly see him as a master technician and convincing storyteller, and loved the autobiography of his early years. I wasn't so convinced by some of his short stories though.
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Just a reminder that my collection Blurred Edges @sigelliterarypress.bsky.social will be reviewed this afternoon on the fab Hannah's Bookshelf between 2-4pm. Hannah's show is a compendium of all things literary, so well worth a listen! hannahkate.net/north-manche...
hannahkate.net
North Manchester FM: Hannah's Bookshelf, Saturday 5 September, 2-4pm - Hannah Kate
Join me on Saturday at 2pm on North Manchester FM for a Pick and Mix episode of Hannah’s Bookshelf. Here’s what’s coming up on this week’s show… A review of a new novel by Catherine Cavendish… I’ll be...
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Me too. It was the first of his I read (at college), and I nearly didn't persevere.
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
A pleasure, Laura, thank you!
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Love the way this unfolds, with every detail building the narrative. Such a sense of longing. Thank you.
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Yes, but when I revisited him recently I thought he hadn’t aged well. Would be interested to see what you think, Rosanna.
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Walked past Richard E. Grant this morning. Still discernible traces of Withnail, I'm glad to report.
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Oh thank you, Renée! This has been a wonderful opportunity and I'm so grateful to you.
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
I would have thought you've got at least the basis for collection to back up your novel, Kieran.
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Terrific, Renée - thank you.
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
They're so much better at it than we are...
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Just a quick heads up that the fab Hannah Kate will be reviewing my new collection Blurred Edges @sigelliterarypress.bsky.social this Saturday. If you haven't come across Hannah's Bookshelf it's a wonderful cornucopia of readings and discussion on all things literary. hannahkate.net/north-manche...
hannahkate.net
North Manchester FM: Hannah's Bookshelf, Saturday 5 September, 2-4pm - Hannah Kate
Join me on Saturday at 2pm on North Manchester FM for a Pick and Mix episode of Hannah’s Bookshelf. Here’s what’s coming up on this week’s show… A review of a new novel by Catherine Cavendish… I’ll be...
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
'At my lowest, I found Mary on Facebook and considered sending her a message.' Great humour and tenderness, plus a feel for the zeitgeist, not to mention the wonderfully conversational voice, in this story by @kieranstories.bsky.social
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Mike Fox @polyscribe70.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Thanks, Renée, it's very kind of Nod.
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