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Stephen Kelman

@stephenkelman.bsky.social
133 followers 130 following 76 posts

Author of the novels Pigeon English (Booker Prize shortlist, AQA GCSE set text) and Man on Fire. New stuff on the way.

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Reposted by Stephen Kelman
BILL RYAN @faceyouhate.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
I know she was a worldly woman and no kind of shrinking violet, but i still don't like the idea of Dolly Parton listening to "Piss Up a Rope."
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Dun Jun @clustertuck.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
-why is it the ONLY unforgivable sin?" And then she told me, "I finally figured it out. The Holy Ghost is that part of God that lives in everybody, and the way you sin against it is by not loving everybody with all your heart, for exactly who they are."
youtube.com
Dolly Parton - Travelin' Thru [Official Music Video]
YouTube video by NettwerkMusic
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Dun Jun @clustertuck.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
RIP Dolly Parton ❤️ Here's a lovely Dolly story: We worked together on "Transamerica." She told me that the bible passage that used to puzzle her the most was, "the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men." She said, "How the heck do you sin against the Holy Ghost, and-
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Dr. Peter Paul Rubens @peterpaulrubens.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Both a dog and a cat have spotted you from inside Samuel van Hoogstraten's amazing View Down a Corridor, 1662. Not to mention the parrot in its cage! But the people are oblivious.
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Stephen Kelman @stephenkelman.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Beautifully done.
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Reposted by Stephen Kelman
The Guardian @theguardian.com · 07/06/2026
“Far right groups prey on it”: Olivia Laing on the weaponisation of loneliness
theguardian.com
“Far right groups prey on it”: Olivia Laing on the weaponisation of loneliness
A decade after The Lonely City was first published, the writer reflects on what’s changed – and how the feelings that drove them to write their bestseller are key to understanding our turbulent politics
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Stephen Kelman @stephenkelman.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
“You Can’t Hurry Love” by The Supremes.
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Stephen Kelman @stephenkelman.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
I was sent this today by the tutor of a girl who is taking an exam on my novel Pigeon English. I often doubt the value of my work, but to have my intentions understood so clearly, and my words valued so highly, is a beautiful validation.
Screenshot of an X post about the interpretation of the line “I like your feet” from the novel Pigeon English.
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Shakespeare and Company @shakespeareandcompany.com · 09/04/2026
On the other hand, the books we sell you will go on working pretty much forever… www.wired.com/story/amazon...
wired.com
Amazon Pulls Support for Perfectly Fine Older Kindles
In an email to customers, Amazon announced that it would be ending service for Kindle devices older than the 2012 edition. Those devices will lose access to the Kindle Store.
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Stephen Kelman @stephenkelman.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
The last Glen Baxter I shared, 22 hours ago. Just found out he has died. Love to all who loved him. His taste for the absurd and the melancholy spoke to me deeply, and made me smile often. A true original.
A Glen Baxter picture of a hand dipping into a goldfish bowl with the caption “He 
was a firm believer in convenience foods.”
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Weeping Bank @weepingbank.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
We are so pleased that our upcoming #WeepingBank events are now featured on LibraryOn events page, sitting alongside the fantastic range of activities happening in libraries across the country. See what you can discover at libraryon.org
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Stephen Kelman @stephenkelman.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Thank you @theguardian.com for publishing this piece on my mother and Alzheimer’s:
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Stephen Kelman @stephenkelman.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
I wrote this about Alzheimer’s for The Guardian:
theguardian.com
‘There is one story we never tell’: will old family photos bring joy to my ailing mother – or remind us of dark secrets?
As Alzheimer’s tightens its grip, we have started making our way through the hundreds of albums in my childhood home. But some are too painful to revisit
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womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Japanese artist Narumi Takada's 2021 textile piece, "Stepping on Fresh Snow" with snow created using punch needle and straight/satin stitches for the boot and paw prints #Womensart
Textile artwork showing what realistically resembles a boot print in snow surrounded by a dog's paw prints
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Mial Pagan @mialp.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
Abbey Theatre St Albans' 'It's A Wonderful Life' is... wonderful! Talented cast, assured direction & great effects - you'll know what I mean when you see the play... Different to the film but just as moving & a fine start to the Christmas season. www.abbeytheatre.org.uk/whats-on/its...
abbeytheatre.org.uk
It's a Wonderful Life
Based on the classic film
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Stephen Kelman @stephenkelman.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
I wrote this on banning books for The Guardian:
theguardian.com
A former Tory councillor tried to ban my novel Pigeon English. Why should pupils suffer because of him?
My book, which draws on my upbringing on a diverse and deprived Luton council estate, has been used as a GCSE text. But one man objected to its profane language and depictions of violence and sexual b...
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Stephen Kelman @stephenkelman.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
I wrote this on banning books for The Guardian:
theguardian.com
A former Tory councillor tried to ban my novel Pigeon English. Why should pupils suffer because of him?
My book, which draws on my upbringing on a diverse and deprived Luton council estate, has been used as a GCSE text. But one man objected to its profane language and depictions of violence and sexual b...
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Stephen Kelman @stephenkelman.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
Satan gets more vindictive the longer you make him wait for you.
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Stephen Kelman @stephenkelman.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
Man looking tearful having embarrassed his estranged protege at an important event.
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Stephen Kelman @stephenkelman.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
June 16th will always be Jesse and Celine day. I wrote about Before Sunrise here: lithub.com/traveling-sc...
lithub.com
Traveling Scene to Scene in the Streets of Vienna, Before Sunrise
It’s been 25 years since Jesse and Celine wandered a dreamlike Vienna in Before Sunrise. Would the city dance for us as it had danced for them? * We chose Vienna for a pre-Christmas break because w…
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Stephen Kelman @stephenkelman.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
Brian Wilson performing Sloop John B on Letterman is one of the most endearing things I’ve ever seen: m.youtube.com/watch?v=msBi...
m.youtube.com
Brian Wilson Performs "Sloop John B" | David Letterman
YouTube video by Letterman
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Stephen Kelman @stephenkelman.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
m.youtube.com/watch?v=5lP8...
m.youtube.com
The Beach Boys - Wouldn't It Be Nice
YouTube video by TheBeachBoysVEVO
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𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℍ𝕚𝕤𝕥🎃𝕣𝕪 𝕠𝕗 ℂ𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕒 ℙ💀𝕕𝕔𝕒𝕤𝕥 @thoc.bsky.social · 01/06/2025
Lmao… omg… it’s true
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Tade "Will Eat Your Heart in the Marketplace" Thompson @tadethompson.bsky.social · 26/05/2025
Many of our books and stories were written on MS Word, which has to be accessed via subscription. The cheek of these people to charge us for tools and still steal our work.
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womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
Artemisia Gentileschi, Self-Portrait as a Lute Player, 1616 #womensart
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Stephen Kelman @stephenkelman.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
The uniquely eerie experience of arriving in a British seaside town on a winter’s night. The incongruous pier. The haunted bandstand. Too dark to see the sea, but I can feel its presence out there somewhere…
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Stephen Kelman @stephenkelman.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
Nothing beats a good ghost story on a wintry Sunday evening - great to see you again!
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Stephen Kelman @stephenkelman.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
Never felt as seen as the Bluey ‘Space’ episode just made me feel. I am Mackenzie.
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Stephen Kelman @stephenkelman.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
I’m already a better person here than on the other place. Case in point: I decided against a snarky post about the fuckwit having a loud and inane phone conversation in the seat behind me on the bus. Winning!
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Stephen Kelman @stephenkelman.bsky.social · 17/11/2024
Half a day on here and I’ve just seen my first mention of the T-word. I came here to escape him. Can everyone here just pretend he doesn’t exist? I thought that was the point of this place.
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Stephen Kelman @stephenkelman.bsky.social · 17/11/2024
Welcome to the new ambivalence.
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