Author Archives: Beth Wren
Review: An American Marriage, Tayari Jones
I’m not often so organised in my reading and rarely have I read a prize winner so quickly after it received a prize. But a short trip to Prague/Dresden this month meant that I plenty of opportunity to get stuck into something new, and Tayari Jones’ An American Marriage was my first pick. The way […]
Why I’m writing (and reading) short stories
When I’m asked what I’m writing on my Creative Writing MA, a lot of people seem surprised to hear that my answer is short stories. As many of you might know, I have written one (and a half) novels, and until I started on my Creative Writing course, I had never even considered the idea […]
Review: Washington Black, Esi Edugyan
From the front cover and blurb, I had a feeling that Washington Black was going to be just my cup of tea. The Man Booker Prize nominated novel from Canadian author Esi Edugyan spans years and continents, from the atrocities of Faith Plantation in Barbados, to inspiring and unbelievable adventures on the high seas and […]
Three things I’ve learnt from my Creative Writing MA
I’ve nearly completed the first year of my Creative Writing MA at Royal Holloway, University of London and although I still have a year left to work on my dissertation and big creative writing project, my taught classes are already over. I think one day I’ll find the words to write more about this whole […]
A Guide to North West Scotland
In case you missed it: I’m sharing my recent roadtrip around Scotland with a series of mini guides to the places we went. You can catch up on the whole trip with this post, and see why we loved the Isle of Skye so much here. The North West of Scotland is about as wild […]
Review: Saltwater, Jessica Andrews
I’ve spent the past week posting my pictures and thoughts on Jessica Andrews’ stunning debut Saltwater and I guess it’s about time that I share the love and explain exactly why I loved this lyrical and fragmented book so much. Written in short, sharp and intense paragraphs, Saltwater follows Lucy as she leaves her home […]
How to spend 3 nights on the Isle of Skye
For our full Scottish roadtrip itinerary, take a look at this post. Out of all the places we visited on our recent trip to Scotland, the Isle of Skye was by far our favourite and the most magical. Joined now to the Scottish mainland by a bridge, the island still feels very separate and different, […]
