First published by The Skinny (April 2011) As launches go, the birth of Cargo Crate was definitely a tale of two cities. On a Friday evening in a chilled Edinburgh, within the hallowed halls of the National Library of Scotland, there were serious talks on the past and future of ‘the book’, with publishers and academics in […]
About paulfcockburn
Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist, specialising in equality issues (disability and/or LGBT+), popular science, and arts & culture.Author Archive | paulfcockburn
Steve Lindridge
Photographer; Born: March 24, 1960; Died: February 25, 2011. The photographer Steve Lindridge, who last month died of a heart attack just a few weeks shy of his 51st birthday, was famed for his cowboy hat, but he was certainly no maverick. Thanks to his acclaimed skills behind the camera, his innate enthusiasm for life, […]
Reasons to be Cheerful
1979: it’s a time of change, and disabled people in Britain are feeling increasingly excluded and threatened by the talk of cuts to benefits and public services that’s coming from the new Conservative Government. 2010: it’s a time of change, and disabled people in Britain are feeling increasingly excluded and threatened by the talk of […]
Connie Willis Interview
First published in Interzone, Issue 227 (March/April 2010). From your 1983 story Fire Watch to the novels Blackout and All Clear, you’ve frequently written about the London Blitz. What is it about this period that interests you? I’ve been in love with the Blitz ever since eighth grade, when my teacher read aloud Rumer Godden’s An Episode of Sparrows, about a little […]
Gareth L Powell Interview
First published in Interzone, Issue 218 (September/October 2008). How does it feel to see your stories gathered together in a printed collection? I’m extremely proud of this collection. It represents one of the busiest periods of my life: five years in which I got married, became a father of two, worked my ass off at a […]
EIBF: Some Random Thoughts
Some random thoughts and memories from the previous four days at the Edinburgh International Book Festival: • A L Kennedy gets a very “I know it’s a bit impertinent, but…” opening question from the audience during her main Festival appearance: “Why aren’t you married?” Her reply is that the somewhat selfish needs of being “the best […]
A Question of Language
Typically, the most controversial, and potentially most interesting, question came at the end of the event, when there wasn’t really any time. To explain, I was at a “breakfast” reading at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, featuring Scottish writers Des Dillon, Anne Donovan and Alan (I’m not stalking him, honest!) Bissett. They each read from […]
