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Alexis Keir

@sevenoakshatter.bsky.social
49 followers 74 following 27 posts

I’m from Luton and Saint Vincent and I’m the author of WINDWARD FAMILY (Thread Books, 2023)

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Alexis Keir @sevenoakshatter.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Happy place 🧡 #COYH!
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The Society of Authors @societyofauthors.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Today marks the 70th anniversary of Walter de la Mare’s death. Falling just a day after the Summer Solstice it seems like the perfect opportunity to share his poem, ‘Summer Evening’.
Summer Evening

The sandy cat by the Farmer’s chair
Mews at his knee for dainty fare;
Old Rover in his moss-greened house
Mumbles a bone, and barks at a mouse.
In the dewy fields the cattle lie
Chewing the cud ’neath a fading sky; 
Dobbin at manger pulls his hay:
Gone is another summer’s day.

Walter de la Mare
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Alexis Keir @sevenoakshatter.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Sharing for National Windrush Day to honour celebrate the lives of those amazing people of my parents' generation who made such a brilliant, defining and foundational contribution in building this country's communities, services and institutions. open.substack.com/pub/alexismo... #windrush
open.substack.com
Windrush
The sunshine was glaring-bright when I left Wellington House, the headquarters of NHS England in Waterloo, to travel the mile or so over the river to Victoria, where the Department of Health and Socia...
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Alexis Keir @sevenoakshatter.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
open.substack.com/pub/alexismo...
open.substack.com
The journeys of a book
Last week I received some lovely news about my book WINDWARD FAMILY - lovely for me.
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Alexis Keir @sevenoakshatter.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Proud Vincy 💙💛💚 www.instagram.com/p/DWjNAZrGYW...
instagram.com
National Public Library on Instagram: "Visit the Adult Lending Library and Children Lending Library to check out these books and more!"
9 likes, 0 comments - nationalpubliclibrarysvg on March 31, 2026: "Visit the Adult Lending Library and Children Lending Library to check out these books and more!".
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Alexis Keir @sevenoakshatter.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
open.substack.com/pub/alexismo...
open.substack.com
Getting lost in the places where we do belong
a post for World Book Day
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Barack Obama @barackobama.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
The killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy. It should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault.
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Alexis Keir @sevenoakshatter.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/j...
theguardian.com
Windrush and the rise of wandering Caribbean cricket clubs that fuelled talent in English game
Their history was in danger of being lost but a new book and project has put together an archive documenting such vibrant contributions to the game
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Oasis @oasisuk.bsky.social · 25/12/2025
🎄Merry Christmas! 🎄 Wherever you are, and however this season meets you, we’re wishing you hope, peace, and love today. Here’s a short clip from a Carols by Candlelight service in one of our hubs, Oasis Waterloo ⭐
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Mir Rahimi @rahimiwrites.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Moments from the Sevenoaks Literary Festival — celebrating words and community. ✨📚
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Mir Rahimi @rahimiwrites.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
🎉 Such a privilege to take part in the Sevenoaks Literary Festival this week! I had the pleasure of speaking alongside Alexies, author of Windward Family, in a thoughtful and inspiring conversation about storytelling, migration, and identity — beautifully chaired by Rupert Lancaster.
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Paul Rance @paulrance.bsky.social · 30/11/2025
Jimmy Cliff - one of the greats, and this is a positive message for everyone feeling beaten down. m.youtube.com/watch?v=7Znh...
m.youtube.com
Jimmy Cliff - The Harder They Come
YouTube video by Rocksteady Freddie
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Alexis Keir @sevenoakshatter.bsky.social · 30/11/2025
A post for the last day of Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. Two purple plants like the beautiful ones on my Mum and Dad’s porch in Biabou #pancreaticcancerawareness💜
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Alexis Keir @sevenoakshatter.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
A post about the power of community with a lot of writing in it. www.linkedin.com/posts/alexis...
linkedin.com
#locality25 #ifs100 | Alexis Keir
It always takes me a few days to reflect (and recover) from the buzz and energy of Locality convention - this year's #Locality25 #IFS100 joint event held at Liverpool FC's iconic Anfield stadium this ...
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Paul Rance @paulrance.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
My books seem to be popping up in a variety of places. This one is available via Waterstones. 👇https://www.waterstones.com/book/luton-town-fc-in-the-1970s/paul-rance/9781520981451
waterstones.com
Luton Town FC in the 1970s by Paul Rance | Waterstones
Buy Luton Town FC in the 1970s by Paul Rance from Waterstones today! Click and Collect from your local Waterstones or get FREE UK delivery on orders over £25.
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Paul Rance @paulrance.bsky.social · 25/10/2025
Nice that my book, Made in Luton, got the thumbs up from teachers at my old junior school in Luton recently. It's now available via Waterstones and Blackwell's. www.waterstones.com/book/made-in...
waterstones.com
Made in Luton by Paul Rance | Waterstones
Buy Made in Luton by Paul Rance from Waterstones today! Click and Collect from your local Waterstones or get FREE UK delivery on orders over £25.
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Alexis Keir @sevenoakshatter.bsky.social · 25/10/2025
Well done Paul on the successful journey of your book 😊
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Alexis Keir @sevenoakshatter.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
I'm so happy to share this campaign from my friend and author @gracequantock.bsky.social to raise funds so that her book Living Well with Chronic Illness can be placed in hospitals in England and Wales to support patients who can benefit from its advice and insights
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Olly Benson @ollybenson.uk · 12/10/2025
"More than half of the young people involved said they would like to reduce screen time, but 46% felt “unable” to. And then came the kicker: “93% of young people who have attended a youth centre say it has made a positive difference to their lives.”"
theguardian.com
Britain's youth clubs have been quietly decimated. What's most revealing is that few seem to care | John Harris
These vital spaces have been the first targets of cuts in a nation that favours age over youth – despite being the remedy for blights such as social division, polarisation and loneliness, says Guardia...
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Dr Anita Sethi 🍃📚 @anitasethi.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Looking forward to speaking at this British Academy event, ‘Writing Wild Worlds’, as part of the @britishacademy.bsky.social ‘Living With the Planet’ Season 30th October, 18:30 www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/livin...
thebritishacademy.ac.uk
Art Club: Writing Wild Worlds
Explore how creative writing can deepen our connection with the natural world and help us imagine a more hopeful future for our planet through this exciting discussion and interactive creative writing...
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Alexis Keir @sevenoakshatter.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
www.linkedin.com/posts/alexis...
linkedin.com
Last week I attended a brilliant showcase of community participatory action research projects which had been supported by the NHSE SE School of Public Health - I have already shared posts by Dr. Vita…...
Last week I attended a brilliant showcase of community participatory action research projects which had been supported by the NHSE SE School of Public Health - I have already shared posts by Dr. Vita ...
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Alexis Keir @sevenoakshatter.bsky.social · 13/09/2025
#standuptoracism
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Paul Rance @paulrance.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
youtube.com
My Short Nature Films - YouTube
Some of my videos of nature.
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Alexis Keir @sevenoakshatter.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
I’m taking part in the Sevenoaks Literary Festival on 4th Oct with @armanazadi.bsky.social It will be great to talk about our books at a time when so much is being said to demonise those who have endured so much to make their lives in and contribute to this country sevlitfest.com/alexis-keir-...
sevlitfest.com
Alexis Keir & Mir Rahimi at Sevenoaks Literary Festival
Two Kent based authors discuss their memoirs, which cover journeys and the search for homeland, lost souls and a desire to make the world a better place.
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Alexis Keir @sevenoakshatter.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
The Non-fiction That Shapes Us: Alexis Keir open.substack.com/pub/hinterla...
open.substack.com
The Non-fiction That Shapes Us: Alexis Keir
Hinterland authors reflect on the non-fiction that inspires their own writing - and a reminder about our upcoming course.
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Alexis Keir @sevenoakshatter.bsky.social · 19/07/2025
Windrush open.substack.com/pub/alexismo...
open.substack.com
Windrush
The sunshine was glaring-bright when I left Wellington House, the headquarters of NHS England in Waterloo, to travel the mile or so over the river to Victoria, where the Department of Health and Socia...
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Alexis Keir @sevenoakshatter.bsky.social · 28/06/2025
#Windrush British subjects who came with skills and artistry to help a country rebuild
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Paul Rance @paulrance.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
"In 1971, Luton boasted one of the strongest women's teams in England in Chiltern Valley Ladies". My article about Luton's pioneering women's football manager Harry Batt and the Lost Lionesses in the latest issue of Best of British magazine. www.bestofbritishmag.co.uk/july-2024-2/
bestofbritishmag.co.uk
July 2024 | Best of British Magazine
Join us in the new July issue of the UK’s top nostalgia magazine, Best of British.
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Alexis Keir @sevenoakshatter.bsky.social · 15/06/2025
Happy Fathers’ Day Hatters! 🧡
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National Voices @nationalvoices.bsky.social · 30/05/2025
📢We are delighted to share our new report, Working for patients: How improving the experience of patients with long-term conditions can deliver the Government’s Ten Year Health Plan, shaped in partnership with Future Health and commissioned by AbbVie. 👇 www.nationalvoices.org.uk/publication/...
On a light blue background a quote from Sharon Brennan, Director of Policy and External Affairs, National Voices, reads: "The 10 Year Plan, alongside the proposal for new health legislation, creates a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get care right for people with long-term conditions, but it needs to be brave enough to put patient experience at the centre of these changes and then be prepared to act on what they tell it.". 

The Future Health and National Voices logos are pictured in the bottom right corner.
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Kit de Waal @kitdewaal.com · 29/05/2025
Call out for writers with lived experience of homelessness or poverty to submit monologues for a new anthology to highlight the complexity of the experiences of homelessness and poverty – struggles, resilience, hope, humour. Please share :) mtos.cardboardcitizens.org.uk/anthology/
Photo of five people, black and white, young and older, looking happy
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Alex Clegg @alexclegg.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
Really interesting report from @changingrealities.bsky.social on low-income parents navigating the complex system of childcare support. Getting this right feels key to the Government's work agenda, but the report also brings out the nuances of parents wanting to balance work with family life
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Changing Realities @changingrealities.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
New blog post 🎢 by Changing Realities participant, Jo: "Just for a moment: a temporary sense of security in an uncertain world" #universalcredit #work #precarity #livedexperience Read here ⬇️ changingrealities.org/blog/just-fo...
changingrealities.org
Today, well supposed to be tomorrow, the payment for the month will go into my bank account. It’s universal credit. And I feel awful that I get it. But if I’ve been really careful the month before, there will be more there!
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The Society of Authors @societyofauthors.bsky.social · 16/05/2025
Mental Health Awareness Week this year is all about community. As part of the writing community, you offer each other an amazing source of support and encouragement. However, we also know how lonely and isolating the author's life can sometimes feel. 🧵
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Paul Rance @paulrance.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
There's always some idiots that slag off Luton though they've never properly visited the town. It's a town in a valley surrounded by the beautiful Chilterns. I guess some people don't find greenery attractive...
Chilterns Walking Festival info, Warden and Galley Hills, Luton, May 24th, 2025.
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Alexis Keir @sevenoakshatter.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
To remind myself today that highs and lows come and go but our love for people and for a football club is enduring 🎩🧡 COYH! ‘To Wake Up in the Promised Land’ by David Cain from Tonic Sta Press tonicstapress.bigcartel.com/product/to-w...
tonicstapress.bigcartel.com
To Wake Up in the Promised Land
We proudly present an extraordinary new work of poetry. David Cain's personal, powerful and touching tale of a special, yet tragic season...
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Alexis Keir @sevenoakshatter.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
A nice Tuesday return to Luton my hometown. Where I last worked as a social worker in 1991 and returned last week working for NHS England and saw my progress reflected in other ways too.
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Alexis Keir @sevenoakshatter.bsky.social · 06/04/2025
Yesterday was a GOOD day! 🎩👏🏽
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Alexis Keir @sevenoakshatter.bsky.social · 29/03/2025
As part of her creation of ‘A River Runs Under Your Feet’ which has now opened in Luton local artist Abi Spendlove also ran a competition for photos of the River Lea. If you’d like to relax and see some beautiful photography take a look - I made a contribution too 😉 youtu.be/KTcLxqlKQng?...
youtu.be
River Lea Photography Competition 2025
YouTube video by Luton's River Lea and Chalk Hills
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Alexis Keir @sevenoakshatter.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
Got home yesterday from Cardiff and London Book Fair to find my copy of Hinterland no. 16 - ‘Journeys’ had arrived from @hinterlandnf.bsky.social It’s beautiful, bumper full of amazing creative nonfiction and I’m very proud that my words are in there too www.hinterlandnonfiction.com/shop/issue-1...
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Alexis Keir @sevenoakshatter.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
The Town Are Staying Up 🧡
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Alexis Keir @sevenoakshatter.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
Busy 2 days! Today with members of NHSE Older Peoples Sounding Board where I had way more chat about football and rugby clubs and their place in the community than I expected. Now on way to see Luton play at Cardiff with my son. Then back 1st thing for London Book Fair #LBF25
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Kit de Waal @kitdewaal.com · 06/03/2025
Words To Live By Number 197
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Hinterland Magazine - open for submissions @hinterlandnf.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Look what’s just arrived! Subscribers and preorder customers - keep an eye on your letter boxes! Everyone else: you can still order a copy here www.hinterlandnonfiction.com/shop/issue-1...
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Sian Meades-Williams @sianysianysiany.bsky.social · 23/02/2025
Sunday is a great day for writing submissions. The Freelance Writing Jobs Bursary closes next week! freelancewritingjobs.substack.com/p/the-freela...
freelancewritingjobs.substack.com
The Freelance Writing Jobs New Directions Bursary
Announcing a new writing opportunity.
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Kit de Waal @kitdewaal.com · 21/02/2025
‘Who tells the story determines the story that gets told.’ In 2017 Common People, an anthology of working class memoir was our attempt to offer alternative narratives. So much yet to be done. See the work of @drdaveobrien.bsky.social
theguardian.com
Working-class creatives don’t stand a chance in UK today, leading artists warn
Exclusive: Analysis by the Guardian shows a third of major arts leaders were educated privately
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Hinterland Magazine - open for submissions @hinterlandnf.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
The proof copy of Issue 16 has just arrived in the post - and it looks great! Full print run due next week, so you've still got time to preorder: www.hinterlandnonfiction.com/shop/issue-1...
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Hinterland Magazine - open for submissions @hinterlandnf.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
Over on our Substack, we chat with Elizabeth Lewis Williams about her piece about travelling to the Antarctic, 'Arriving', which features in the latest issue of Hinterland. You can preorder Issue 16 over at our webstore now: www.hinterlandnonfiction.com/shop/issue-1...
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Alexis Keir @sevenoakshatter.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
After 9 hours travelling finally I reached the fair #kingslynnmart
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Hinterland Magazine - open for submissions @hinterlandnf.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
Delighted to say that the latest issue of Hinterland, a Journeys special, is up for preorder now, packed with some fantastic writing by Jean McNeil, Elizabeth Lewis Williams, Alexis Keir, and many more besides: www.hinterlandnonfiction.com/shop/issue-1...
The cover design for Hinterland Issue 16 by Aimee Ugur, depicting a flock of birds flying over mountains and sea.
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