Category Archives: Dark Angels

Aqua vitae

Every two years we run a Dark Angels masterclass at Merton College, Oxford. I am there now. Three nights in a medieval Oxford college is in many ways a retreat from the world; but it’s also a sojourn in one … Continue reading

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Come to the edge

I spent the day in Edinburgh on Tuesday discussing the future of Dark Angels with Stuart and John at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Round one of our AGM, at Heathrow Terminal Five, three weeks ago, had proved insufficient for … Continue reading

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Silver linings

It might seem hard to look forward to anything on a day like this – with heavy grey skies, wind and rain, several inches of snow turning to a watery slush and news of snowgates closed on major roads a … Continue reading

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Magic in the air

Sometimes there’s just a little bit of magic in the air. So it has seemed these last 10 days. I can’t really explain it, but it feels as if maybe the planets have been particularly well aligned – or something … Continue reading

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Ham central

My last post was written on the plane on the way to Spain, two weeks ago. The weather in the Andalucian hills is changeable at this time of year and the rain did not stay mainly on the plain. Still, … Continue reading

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Caledonia dreaming

It hurts to see a dream extinguished. It hurts a lot. It’s taken me a few days to start to regain my equilibrium and it will take a lot longer to fully absorb what happened last Thursday. I believe Scotland … Continue reading

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Food of love

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In the 10 years that we’ve been running our writing courses, many good things have come out of Dark Angels. Along with sharpened senses, there have been new friendships, changes of personal direction, and the  publication of writing of all … Continue reading

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Lone Rangers

I’m about to drive into Edinburgh to record a four-way interview about the Dark Angels collective novel Keeping Mum for the BBC World Service. It’s Thursday evening and today is publication day. According to the information sheet from the friendly … Continue reading

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The Angels’ Share

Has there ever before been a fifteen-author book signing? Unbound, publishers of the Dark Angels collective novel Keeping Mum, have just posted photographs of this unusual, probably unique event on Facebook. It preceded our 10th anniversary dinner last week at … Continue reading

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A place at table

Commensality. I first came across the word a few years ago when I wrote an appeal for a community of monks. It means the act of sitting at table together (remember that famous first declension Latin noun, mensa?). Commensality was … Continue reading

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