Taking Aim at the Police Van DVD review
Seijun Suzuki’s Take Aim at the Police Van (1959), stars Michitaro Mizushima as the prison guard looking after a prison bus full of prisoners when it is attacked. The beauty of the film lies in its taut simplicity, which I liked. Suzuki is the master of identifying a subtle truth that only cinema can capture.
Sizzling celeb-gossip mag heat seeks a News Reporter - Maternity Cover only
Do you have more front than Jordan, never fail to get into a party (whether your name is on the door or not) and have a bulging contacts book? Heat is seeking a News Reporter who can deliver exclusives every week. A sense of style is as crucial as a sparkling way with words, and almost as necessary as a keen instinct for blagging.
The week ahead at EssentialWriters.com
This week at EssentialWriters.com we’re obsessing over celebrities, watching film noir, writing our memoirs, getting to grips with journalism skills and learning how to win writing competitions. Whatever happens to be preoccupying you this week, come along for the ride, and submit any ideas or reviews you’d like to contribute.
Comedic writer Emma Kennedy shares the art of baring all on her website while maintaining dignity
Emma Kennedy’s homepage includes a slightly pensive looking shot of Emma, but the rest of the site is anything but pensive. Easy to read with plenty to read is a winning combination, and with Emma Kennedy’s down-to-earth and unerringly amusing outlook sported on every part of the website, it’s a joy to visit.
Show of Strength Theatre Company brings free writing workshops to Bristol and Exeter
What is the purpose of a theatre? To provide actors with a place to act, to entertain the masses? Perhaps, from a writer’s point of view, it’s main purpose is to showcase the work of playwrights. Show of Strength Theatre Company takes this a step further by providing free scriptwriting workshops, and helping aspiring playwrights to emerge.
Orbis seeks number-specific entries for their latest creative writing competition
Orbis is is a long-standing quarterly international literary journal edited by Carole Baldock. To celebrate 40 years of Orbis, and with the next issue being the big 150th issue, plus Carole Baldock’s 30th issue as editor, Orbis are seeking submissions of poems, short shorts and intros to short stories with a very specific remit.
Author and publisher John Yeoman explains why he established Writer’s Village short fiction contest
John Yeoman is the author of eight published books of humour and fiction, and has been working as a successful commercial writer and publisher for 40 years. He has a Phd in Creative Writing and tutors in creative writing at a university. He lets us know why he believes ebooks and self-publishing will be the future for authors.
RealDeal Theatre calls for submissions of 15-minute sitcom scripts
RealDeal Theatre is looking for six 15-minute sitcoms for Sitcom Saturday, a professionally directed and acted script-in-hand rehearsed reading, open to the public. It offers a truly interactive as well as collaborative experience for sitcom writers, and also a taster of what it’s really like working with a director.
Diane Walton of On Spec magazine invites us to “push the envelope” of the sci-fi genre
Diane Walton is the managing editor of On Spec, a Canadian Sci-Fi magazine. She co-founded the publication 20 years ago as an antidote to U.S. sci-fi mags that demanded neat endings and heroic protagonists. Diane tells us how the urge to help others’ improve their writing keeps her interested in short story submissions.
On Spec review – fairy tales for grown ups, with many an uncertain ending
Contained within “The Canadian magazine of the Fantastic”, you’ll find fairy tales for grown ups, dark and eerie, with many an uncertain ending. The stories and poems unfold on the edges of shores, in woods, between everyday cities and dreamland, with inspiration drawn from myths and legends from a plethora of cultures.

