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"Sherwood is almost synonymous with Nottingham and Nottingham with writing." That's how Frances Thimann, a short story writer and member of the SherWords writing group, traces the link between the Nottingham area and the act of writing. This connection remains very much alive today in SherWords, a friendly, collaborative writing group rooted in the local community and sustained by their passion for literature...

Emma Oldham Wins Oxford Flash Fiction Prize

In recent years there’s been more recognition that a short story’s impact isn’t limited by its brevity. Flash Fiction has blossomed into its own discrete art form - and we’re now pleased to say that we have a champion of the form among us...

Artworks: Anna Mylonas of Nine Two Five Silver

For this month’s Artworks, we hear from Anna Mylonas, a Notts-based silversmith who runs Nine Two Five Silver.

5 Perfect Gifts for Coffee Lovers This Black Friday

Black Friday is one of the best times of the year to score great deals on everything coffee-related — from premium beans to high-end brewing equipment. Whether there’s a coffee lover in your family or you’re looking to upgrade your own setup, this is the perfect opportunity to find thoughtful and affordable gifts.

Classical Music Review: The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra with guest conductor Elena Schwartz at the Royal Concert Hall

Sun 09 Nov 2025

Turmoil, transcendence and orchestral grandeur are the order of the day in the BBC Philharmonic’s latest Nottingham appearance...

Gig review: Celeste at The Level

Sun 09 Nov 2025

At a Rough Trade outstore gig hosted by The Level, Celeste delivered an unforgettable stripped-back performance, letting her souful vocals do the talking, and putting to rest any doubts about her place in the musical pantheon...

French post-punk, brew festivals, Disney on Ice and festive ballet: here's what's on in Notts this week 10-15 November 2025

Sun 09 Nov 2025

This week, get yourself down to the Craft Brew Festival, enjoy some elegant post-punk covers, welcome Christmas in early with a ballet of A Christmas Carol, or skate down to Disney on Ice. Here are our top picks of the week....

Review: JT Soar Fest 2025

This time last week, one of Nottingham's most intriguing music and arts spaces, JT Soar, played host to an ultra-eclectic festival packed with intriguing names and tunes. Here's what happened over the weekend at JT Soar Fest 2025...

Gig review: Volbeat at Motorpoint Arena

Stadium Rock is one of those things which exists but is hard to identify or classify. , who on their recordings echo hard rock, even bordering on metal, sure do put on one hell of a show, oozing positivity and performativity while also being ridiculously talented and making such a powerful sound. We caught them on the first night of the UK leg of their The Greatest of All Tours Worldwide tour, joined by the fantastic Bush and Witch Fever...

Women in Horror Weekend at Waterstones

Autumn is well upon us, with its burnt orange leaves, chilly evenings and the promise of pumpkin-spiced lattes offering a warm hug as the nights draw in. But it’s also the season of the spooky, where shadows stretch a little longer, fog lingers, and curling up with a horror novel feels less like a pastime and more like a ritual, getting you into the mood for Halloween...

This land is ours: a ramble through our relationship with the north Notts countryside

In a twist on our regular love letter to local areas ‘These Streets Are Ours’, this month we turn to the forests and country estates of the north. Caradoc Gayer looks at how our common land has been lost, the modern regulations that confine our rambling, how Ducal estates and boundaries have transformed the landscape, and how we can remind ourselves of our lasting, and strong connection to the natural world.

Left Magpie: November 2025 - All Good. Until it Wasn’t

Our Notts County columnist Julian McDougall, is back with a report of the last month of action at Notts County FC...

Gig review: Halina Rice at Rescue Rooms

As electronic music matures further past the clubs, the desire of artists to deconstruct and subvert the norms that have developed over the decades grows. As sub-genres and tropes spawn like branches on an ever growing tree, musicians stand ready to atomise and rearrange those new conventions, manipulating them, pushing them toward the furthest boundaries, seeing how far those rules will stretch into the left field. Halina Rice is one such musician...

Nouvelle Vague's Marc Collins and Mélanie Pain talk about the band's beginnings ahead of the Metronome show

With twenty years of covering some of the most seminal post-punk and new wave tracks of all time, French band Nouvelle Vague bring their elegant live performance to Metronome next Wednesday. We sat down to speak to producer Marc Collins and singer Mélanie Pain to discover how the band began and what inspired their sound...

LeftLion's Latest Listens #35: Notts music we're currently spinning

In this edition of LeftLion's Latest Listens for 2025, our music team reviews new releases from Kai-Otee, LYVIA, Bored Marsh, Fools & Sages, Willow Bay and Revenge of Calculon...

Hart of the Wood: the film installations at Newstead Abbey inspired by forest folklore

With its elegant ruins, serene rolling gardens and rich literary history, Newstead Abbey already makes for an atmospheric autumnal wander, but currently, another escape awaits within its historic landscape. Dotted within the grounds, the Hart of the Wood project shares a series of intriguing 16mm films exploring the seasons, our relationship with folklore and the land. We spoke to Notts filmmaker Benjamin Wigley to hear about the artistry and story behind these curious hand-powered moving pictures…

Theatre review: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at Nottingham's Theatre Royal

Thu 06 Nov 2025

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe came to Nottingham's Theatre Royal this week, bringing dazzling theatrics, humour and heart...

Gig review: The Lovely Eggs at Metronome

Wed 05 Nov 2025

We sent one of our writers to reunite with lo-fi psych-rock duo The Lovely Eggs as they visited Nottingham's Metronome - on Halloween night - as part of a UK tour. He came away impressed, entertained and thoroughly reassured about the future of rock...

Nottingham’s universities invite local residents with life and skills experiences to apply for community-focused research PhD projects

Wed 05 Nov 2025

Nottingham Trent University (NTU) and the University of Nottingham (UoN) are inviting people from the local community to apply for paid, full-time PhD, and part-time Placement research projects that aim to improve the lives of communities across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire...

Artist and actor Heather Agyepong on her latest exhibition at New Art Exchange

Wed 05 Nov 2025

Heather Agyepong is a British-Ghanaian photographer, visual artist and actor based in London. In 2024 she entered her work into the New Art Exchange Open and won one of the awards. This led to her current solo exhibition From Sunrise to Sunset, She Worked to Reform Herself: Part 1 which is on show in the city until January. She told us more about her intriguing art practice, finding space for rest and life as an actor…

Left Brian: November 2025 - A New Daw...Dyche!

Our Forest columnist Julie Pritchard, the creator of the classic nineties 'Brian' fanzine, is back to give her thoughts on the last month at the city ground. Strap yourself in!

Gig review: As December Falls at Rock City

Rock City has long been home to some of the most legendary acts in music history — from Green Day to Nirvana — and countless artists have spoken fondly about their experiences playing its iconic stage. As November opened, it was time for another powerhouse to join that legacy: As December Falls...

Gig review: Gogol Bordello at Rock City

When you go to see a show, it's usually all about the headliner - right? The support(s) are there to warm up the crowd. Maybe they’re similar, or friends of the main act, but the night is centred around the headliner. That’s how it usually goes. But it doesn’t have to, and Gogol Bordello (and the people at their label Casa Gogol) have curated an excellent night highlighting the history of global punk music, celebrating the genre in full, with three differing and fantastic takes that reflect three different worlds, all uniting. Nottingham's Rock City hosted the show...

Theatre review: Slava's Snow Show at the Royal Concert Hall Nottingham