LeftLion Magazine Appoints Ashley Carter as New Editor

Ashley Carter is stepping up from the role of screen editor, which he has held since June 2017 and has been writing regularly for us for the last seven years. He writes the monthly F for Film column in our magazine, founded the LeftLion Film Podcast and directed the 2017 feature documentary Shaun Barker: One More Time. He recently graduated from an MA in Documentary Journalism at Nottingham Trent University where he was awarded the Postgraduate Journalism Highest Achieving Student Award.

“I’ve loved LeftLion since I first moved to Nottingham nine years ago, and am absolutely delighted and humbled to be given the responsibility of this new role,” says Ashley. “I’ve been lucky enough to work under two amazing editors in Ali Emm and, more recently, Bridie Squires, who have set an incredible example of enthusiasm, commitment and creativity that I will try as hard as I can to follow. LeftLion is a cornerstone of Nottingham’s creative community and I’m excited to take on the challenge of continuing to showcase the very best that the city has to offer.”

Bridie Squires, who has been our editor since January 2017 is off to a secondment at Nottingham Trent University as their first ever Writer In Residence. She’s worked with us now for over five years, first joining us as an editorial apprentice way back in 2013, and she will be dearly missed. The good news is that she’s not legging it totally out of the door. She’ll still be joining us in the LeftLion office on a weekly basis in a new part-time role as Editor at Large. Who knows, she might even come back to us full-time when the secondment ends.

“I’m thrilled to be appointed with this new residency, and hope to further strengthen the partnership between LeftLion and Nottingham Trent University,” says Bridie. “I’m looking forward to unearthing more of this city’s creative scene alongside our new Editor Ashley Carter, whose work ethic, talent and wit I’ve long admired. It’s an exciting new chapter for the publication. Thank you to everyone in the LeftLion family, including all our readers; my predecessor Ali Emm, for all her incredible wisdoms; and Directors Alan and Jared, for their continued support.”

During her tenure Bridie has seen our magazine increase to twelve copies per year and distribution across the city increase as a whole. She’s also commissioned some notable covers, and features, and has overseen a new direction for the magazine. She co-wrote the LeftLion 100 Covers book with original editor and founder Jared Wilson and pioneered the Our Nottingham Things poetry project alongside Nottingham’s Young Poet Laureate Georgina Wilding.

This change in editorship is now the fifth in the history of our publication and Ashley follows in the footsteps of not only Bridie, but Jared Wilson (2003-2009), Al Needham (2009-2013) and Ali Emm (2013-2017).