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The Doc'n Roll Film Festival Returns to Venues Across Nottingham This Month

The Doc'n Roll Film Festival finally arrives in Nottingham on Thursday 3 November, after two false dawns due to that pesky blighter COVID-19. LeftLion sits down with festival organisers and curators Mark McIntyre and Marcus Duffield to talk all things music, the importance of a great documentary and what we Nottingham folks can expect from this year’s event…

Book Review: Don't Mention The Night

Capturing the music of the 1970s in a very Nottingham way, Dave Belbin's new book Don't Mention the Night is a time capsule of sorts. Our writer Daniel Swann walks us through it...

A Booklover's Dream, Five Leaves Shed Light On Their Regular Bookclub

With its radical reputation, Five Leaves is a bookshop beloved by you Notts lot. But did you know that, alongside stocking all the best and rarest titles, the store hosts a regular book club? With recent titles including The Book of Form and Emptiness and Elena Knows, this month you can look forward to diving into Selby Wynn Schwartz’s After Sappho - the novel which reimagines the stories of feminists, artists, writers and sapphics from the 19th and 20th century. Before the event on Thursday 27 October, we catch up with Five Leaves’ Ross Bradshaw and Jane Anger to learn more…

Six Spooky Books to Get Your Spine Tingling This October

Want a book that sends shivers down your spine? One that fills you will a creeping dread? Our literature team have a few suggestions...

Theatre Review: The Tiger Who Came To Tea at Theatre Royal

Judith Kerr’s children’s story might be over half a century old, but it still remains popular with the UK’s little people… and their parents.

Nottdance Returns to Make October the Month of Movement

Nottdance is back with a month of movement across Nottingham venues, here's the lowdown on what it's all about...

Notts Author Richard Kish Opens Up on His New Poetry Book July

Publishing his first novel Burning Ash after ten years in the writing, Richard Kish found himself stuck for inspiration, in large part because of his experiences with depression. So, in the hopes of a ‘creative boost’, Kish turned to poetry, making a vow to write a single piece every single day in July. Now published in a collection of the month’s name, we chat with the young writer about how the project came about, life with mental health struggles and the difference between prose and poetry…

5 Books Every New Student in Nottingham Should Check Out

We Hear All About Collected Poems: Volume Two, the Brand New Book From Notts Legend Henry Normal

From co-creating the British TV classic The Royle Family to setting up Baby Cow Productions with Steve Coogan, Henry Normal has had an industrious career in the arts. But since retiring, the 65-year-old has turned his hand back to his first love, poetry, and is celebrating his second volume of Collected Poems, published last month by Flapjack Press…

Book Review: Heat Two

Film lovers most likely know Michael Mann as the visionary behind iconic crime films including Thief, Manhunter and Heat. But did you know that he’s tried his hand at writing novels too? Most notably, Heat Two, the literary prequel/sequel to one of his most iconic films. Our writer Oliver Parker sees how it compares…

Uni of Nottingham Graduate Hanna Flint Chats the Importance of Filmmaking, Representation in Cinema and Her New Book Strong Female Character

After graduating from the University of Nottingham, Hanna Flint has gone from strength-to-strength as a film journalist, working at publications like Empire, Time Out and The Guardian. Now we catch up with her about her debut book, Strong Female Character…

Big City Book Review: Darren Simpson’s Furthermoor

Interested in getting your hands on four free books? Well you’re in luck, because Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature are offering just that through their Big City Reads campaign. With stories ranging from loneliness to police injustice, and styles varying from prose to graphic novel, there’s something for every reader. Four young writers give us their run down of the books, continuing with Eleanor Flowerday's take on Furthermoor...

Coming Up in Notts This Week: Nottingham Carnival, The Book of Mormon and More

EP launches, zine making and photography sessions are also on the cards...

25 Years Later: Men in Black

How's it been a quarter-century since Men in Black?! Sure, the theme song is probably better than the film - but the film's still great...

Writer Michael Pedersen Chats New Book Boy Friends Ahead of His Visit to Waterstones Nottingham

In 2018, poet Michael Pedersen set off on a trip across the Scottish Highlands with one of his best friends Scott Hutchison - founder of the indie rock band Frightened Rabbit. But after the sudden passing of the latter, Pedersen found himself surrounded by grief as he sat down to write his next book. Unable to write poetry, though, he poured himself into journals, and what emerged was Boy Friends, the touching new release chronicling his life through the lens of male friendships. Ahead of his event at Waterstones on Tuesday 9 August, we catch up with the author about his process and inspiration…

Big City Book Review: Ibi Zoboi’s Punching the Air

Interested in getting your hands on four free books? Well you’re in luck, because Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature are offering just that through their Big City Reads campaign. With stories ranging from loneliness to police injustice, and styles varying from prose to graphic novel, there’s something for every reader. Four young writers give us their run down of the books, continuing with Zach Omitowoju's take on Punching the Air...

Big City Book Review: Lize Meddings' 'The Sad Ghost Club'

Interested in getting your hands on four free books? Well you’re in luck, because Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature are offering just that through their Big City Reads campaign. With stories ranging from loneliness to police injustice, and styles varying from prose to graphic novel, there’s something for every reader. Four young writers give us their run down of the books, continuing with Chloë Choong's thoughts on The Sad Ghost Club...

7 of the Best Underdog Stories in Cinema History

Nottingham Author Georgina Wilding Lifts the Lid on Her New Book Hag Stone

Named Nottingham’s first young poet laureate in 2017, Georgina Wilding isn’t new to the poetry scene. But despite being involved in the art for over ten years, she’s only just released her first poetry collection - Hag Stone. Pulling childhood memories through a surrealist lens, the book, which muses on the grittiness and joys of growing up, has been met with great acclaim from authors including Henry Normal and Cathy Grindrod. We chat to Wilding about girlhood, being a working class poet and what her writing process is like…

Big City Book Review: Joya Goffney’s ‘Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry’

Interested in getting your hands on four free books? Well you’re in luck, because Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature are giving just that away for their Big City Reads campaign. With stories ranging from loneliness to police injustice, and styles varying from prose to graphic novel, there’s something for every reader. Four young writers give us their run down of the books, beginning with Shakira Hamilton's take on Joya Goffney’s Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry...

AR App Brings Pieces of Nottingham’s History to Life

Experience what life would have been like back in the day with a new app from Nottingham Trent University...

Author Rosie Wilby on Queer the Shelves, Her New Book and Being Known as The Queen of Breakups

Last month saw Queer the Shelves, a two-day celebration of LGBTQ+ books and writers, take place at Waterstones in the city centre. Organised by local editing and publishing company, Global Wordsmiths, and funded by Arts Council England, the event saw over twenty international LGBTQ+ writers taking part in Q&A panels, readings and mingling with readers at an after party held at Nottingham’s oldest – and only – LGBTQ+ pub, the New Foresters. Some writers were well known, others on their first published work, with every genre covered. The keynote speaker was comedian and author Rosie Wilby, known for her stand up, podcast, and now two books on the theme of relationships. We caught up with her just as the busy weekend drew to a close...

5 Fun Things to Check Out This Week: From Newark Book Festival to Repton Filmfest

With book fairs, film festivals and celebrations for Nottingham's freshest musical talent, there really is something for everyone around here this week...

You Can Get Your Hands on Four Free Books in Nottingham This Month, All Thanks to City of Literature

Interested in four free books? Well then you’re in luck, because Nottingham’s City of Literature are giving away just that as part of their Big City Reads campaign. And with stories ranging from loneliness to police injustice, and styles varying from prose to graphic novel, there’s something for every kind of reader. Set to take place this summer, our Literature Editor catches up with Matt Turpin and Eleanor Flowerday from City of Literature to find out more…

We Dive Into Nottingham Forest’s History-Making Season, Which Saw Them Return to the Premier League for the First Time in 8,414 Days

A kebab shop with a firework-fuelled marketing masterstroke. Depeche Mode blaring from passing cars. Our right-back’s mother carried shoulder high in her Calippo-fluorescent replica shirt rhyming ‘shite’ with ‘dynamite’. Red smoke. Handwritten plans taped to a water bottle wrapped in a towel. Que sera, sera…