Wildlife

I wrote a new little story called 'Birdie' for Wales Arts Review, you may have had enough fiction fed to you lately, but it may distract you briefly from this dark day... it may not. 'Usually when I passed, Birdie would be crouched, rocking on his haunches – forwards, backwards, forwards, back. He sometimes had a smile to flash, sometimes didn’t, not-quite-sat upon the threshold. Neither in nor out.' Read my flash fiction 'Birdie' in full on Wales Arts Review Join Wales Arts Review throughout June for a month-long celebration of t he flash fiction form. They will be publishing stories by the finest writers, a new story every day, in this online festival of flash fiction. Tomorrow is also National Flash Fiction Day and I'll be reading a piece at the Cardiff event Imagistic at Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff at 5pm, the event is free entry, do join us (more in the blog below about this and on Facebook ). Otherwise, today, I feel like this: ...

I'm reading flash fiction here this Saturday – I'm on first or early at least. Come buy me an early birthday drink, or get  Rhian Edwards , who is also reading, a belated one... Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, Sat 25th June, 5pm This year's Imagistic features six writers, including Rhian Edwards, Tyler Keevil, Ivy Alvarez, and Susie Wild, along with six artists, including Robert Harding, Keith Bayliss and Maja Spasova, in collaborations in which the writers respond to artists with new work – or for the first time in Imagistic, vice versa.  In the first set of collaborations, three writers have chosen an image by one of the artists as an inspiration for a new short story, up to 1,000 words.  Rebecca Smith will work from a painting (above) by Medina Hammad; Tyler Keevil will respond to a painting by Magda Kozarzewska; and Sarah Hayden has chosen a work by sculptor Robert Harding.  In the second collaborations, we are flipping this relationship, so that the...

The lovely folks at Ink Sweat and Tears have selected my poem 'In case' as one in a shortlist of six up for the May 2016 Pick of the Month. If anyone deserves a gin tomorrow, they do. Voting is open until Tuesday 14 June. Read my poem 'In case' and the rest of the shortlist on Ink Sweat and Tears Vote for my poem on surveymonkey for Ink Sweat and Tears ' May Pick of the Month. Enjoy World Gin Day! And, while we're talking voting, don't forget to vote (to stay) in the EU Referendum on 23 June. Susie x

While I've been away on my ITEF Fellowship in Istanbul there's been a little flurry of my writing appearing in the world.  This means that you can now read two of my new poems for free online. 'Yolk/White' has been published in The Lampeter Review 's Issue 13 ( Exit ) which can be read online here for free . 'The estate agent posts written requests  to air the space between us before public viewings.' 'In case' has been published by Ink Sweat & Tears and can be read on their website for free : Ink Sweat & Tears May 11 at 9:17am  ·  Susie Wild tickles our fancy today on  www.inksweatandtears.co.uk In case of fire exit building before tweeting about it... You can read my new story 'Looks Like Rain' in the Spring issue of The Lonely Crowd (Issue 4) which is out now. Buy it from the website or pop along to the launch at Little Man in Cardiff on the 20th of May where I'll be re...

' It began with the opening image. I usually start stories or poems with an image, a line or a character. I’m a visual learner, an introvert observer of others. Knowing I’d agreed to write this piece I’ve been racking my brain and notebooks for the seed that planted the first page.' Read the article in full on The Lonely Crowd  website. My story 'Looks Like Rain' is in the new Spring 2016 Issue, out now. I'll be reading it at the Little Man launch in Cardiff on 20th May.

I am so looking forward to this next month. Today I went back to my old teaching campus of Francis Close Hall, Uni of Glocs to talk about the creative process, writing stories and poems and working as an editor with my fellow Bright Young Thing Tyler Keevil, his bright and erudite students, and the talented Rebecca F. John. It was lovely to be talking about my next book, finally, out next spring! I also discovered that Rebecca is a basher and Tyler and I are swoopers / leapers:  https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/632571-swoopers-write-a-story-quickly-higgledy-piggledy-crinkum-crankum-any-which-way I've a few bits and pieces coming up... out now, the Spring issue of The Lonely Crowd includes a new story from me called 'Looks Like Rain': The Lonely Crowd  ‏ @ thelonelypress     10h 10 hours ago 10 hours ago 'When the woman was a girl she was afraid of the weather...' Read @Soozerama in our new issue. I've also written an e...

I hope you can join me for this event of loveliness: An evening of readings from the Spring Issue of The Lonely Crowd , featuring Robert Minhinnick, Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch, Leila Segal, Bethany W. Pope, Susie Wild, Marie Gethins & more tbc shortly. The Little Man Coffee Co , Ivor House, Bridge Street, CF10 2EE  Cardifff, United Kingdom Facebook Event Page Also, I decided, as my old Literature Wales profile mentioned MySpace, I  was  due for a 5 year update 

I'm looking forward to this trip to Istanbul next month , one of the lucky 21 chosen to be a fellow from hundreds... flights booked: " The Fellowship Programme starting in year 2011 has hosted 63 international professionals in İstanbul until now in the field of publishing and contributed to the promotion of Turkish literature and publishing. This year 21 professionals from 14 different countries, such as publishers, literary agents, translators, literary fund managers and directors of literary festivals are meeting in İstanbul. Professionals working in the field of literature and translation are going to visit publishing houses with their Turkish colleagues during the 3-day program, share their knowledge and experience in one-to-one meetings, participate in the Programme which creates a ground for development of joint projects and provide common market for the copyrights. See here  for more information."

You can now pre-order the new, spring issue of The Lonely Crowd here:  http://thelonelycrowd.org/the-lonely-store/ Featuring: Fiction / Kate Hamer, Valerie Sirr, Leila Segal, Robert Minhinnick, Marie Gethins, Charlie Hill, Bethany W. Pope, Catherine McNamara, Neil Campbell, Alan McMonagle, Siân Melangell Dafydd, Armel Dagorn, C. G. Menon, Susie Wild, Laura Windley, Iain Robinson, Giles Rees, Diana Powell, Pia Ghosh Roy, Nigel Jarrett / Poetry / Joe Dunthorne, Polly Atkin, Zelda Chappell, Scarlett Sabet, Carol Lypsc, James Aust, Sarah James, Katharine Stansfield, Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch / Photo Story / Seamus Sullivan / Editing & Design / John Lavin / Advisory Editor / Michou Burckett St. Laurent / Front & Back Photos / Jo Mazelis

Thrilled to let you know that I'll be reading poems at The Tin Shed Experience as part of the Free Fringe at the Laugharne Weekend this year. Catch me on stage at 8.15pm Sat 2nd April. I look forward to seeing familiar and unfamiliar faces around town that weekend. In other news, I'm on holiday! Susie x

Ziggy / Daffs Today is a Leap Day and so it feels appropriate to leap forward but also to look back, to catch up, to update. March arrives tomorrow and daffodils are everywhere, on banks and in vases, on Six Nations pub bars in ice buckets, in hats and buttonholes, all ready for St David's Day. They bob their daft sunshine heads and make me smile.  Tuesday will also bring our appointment to cross t's and dot i's for our next house and I feel like I am unfurling, blooming... full of news and newness, full of poems and stories, after a time of hiding beneath the soil. Our garden, in this house we love but have to leave early (for the landlord wants it back to live in or sell we are not sure)…  is neglected now, but the sky is brightening and the gentrified neighbourhood cats still visit, paw at windows, hope for feeding. We are deciding on the ethics of stealing our favourite (Ziggy)– and we are hoping for other funny Bowie-named feline visitors on our new str...

'In response to popular demand, I’ve organised a question-and-answer session with Susie Wild, publishing editor for  Parthian Books , on Sunday February 28th. There will be a numbers limit, so as always it’s best to  book  well in advance: the cost is just £10. Once you’ve booked, feel free to  email me   with any question you may have: that way I can collate the most common questions and make sure these get covered. 'The session will start at 1pm in the Bute Park Education Centre and last about one and a half hours. Details of how to find the centre can be found.' https://parkwrite.wordpress.com/2016/01/19/your-chance-to-talk-to-a-publishing-editor-feb-28/

" Earlier this month Owen Martell, Jon Ronson, John Harrison, Rebecca F John, Ian Sinclair and Joe Dunthorne fled the British rain and joined a group of UK writers taken to the Guadalajara International Book Fair in Mexico by the British Council.  "The UK literary scene was the focus of this year’s Fair, one of the largest book fairs in the world, second only to Frankfurt with a million visitors passing through the doors this year. The writers introduced their work to publishers, ambassadors, critics, academics and school children and now we’d like to introduce a couple of them to you." Read the article in full:   https://wales.britishcouncil.org/en/guadalajara-2015 Susie Wild is a writer and the publishing editor at Parthian Books. She also attended FIL Guadalajara on a Welsh Government Trade Mission.

Hi Folks! I've written a mega update on my recent Welsh Government Cultural Trade Mission to the international book fair FIL Guadalajara as part of the Wales-Jalisco partnership . You can see my photo album from the trip (29 Nov - 6 December) here Read my blogs: Hola! Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Blogs on the trip by the others: Short story writer Rebecca F. John has also written a blog about her experience, which you can read on her website . Travel writer John Harrison's blog post on the trip is also now online . And Mabli Jen Eustace, a Cardiff MET Student who was artist in residence for the trip has also blogged about her painting and visit .

Sob. It's my last day in Guadalajara. Isn't it always the way with long haul journeys that just as the jet lag eases and the Spanish / local phrases start to stick and you are getting the hang of getting around that it is time to leave again? I'm packed – and sure my bag is overweight from swapping book stock for gifts (it is, slightly) – and out into the glorious sunshine in search of more art and a chance to look around the impressive neo-Gothic church, Templo Expiatorio , I've repeatedly spotted near us from taxi windows. I walk a couple of blocks left, past street art murals, secondhand bookshops and guitar shops and the church is suddenly in front of me. In the square street food traders sell fruit with chilli and crushed crickets if you are so inclined. I'm not hungry yet, and instead feast on architecture, wandering the exterior and interior of the building before crossing around the corner to MUSA (Museo de las Artes) where Hockney is showing as part of FIL...

On Friday we had more time in the morning and chose to seek breakfast out, and settled on the terrace at Chai, a bright cafe in a small square off Juarez, a short walk from our hostel where the Huevos Rancheros and large coffee went down well. Then we were back at MIND for the presentation of Mabli's painting to Jalisco Government before the film crew took Rebecca and I up to the roof for our interviews to camera.  Then we were free to explore – heading out to picturesque artisan area of Tlaquepaque for some street food and shopping before joining the others for drinks and dinner at their glitzy hotel.   After dinner I headed back to FIL with the boys for the second half of the Cinematic Orchestra set.