Elizabeth Baines

The lunchtime readings at Central Library have become a significant feature on the Manchester Literature landscape, and today there was a gr...

I am so thrilled! Last night, as I was slumped on the sofa and nodding off (the effects of two glasses of wine in the pub earlier), the phon...

Well, in my last post I was saying what unalloyed fun it was to have a play in the 24:7 Theatre Festival , but today one particular angst ki...

News this morning that the play I wrote in January , The Processing Room , has been accepted for this year's Manchester 24:7 Theatre Fe...

My page proofs came through for my collection of short stories, Balancing on the Edge of the World , and for the first time ever I didn'...

Reading group last night, and to Hans's for the first time, where his huge window gave a view of everyone looking tentative as they came...

Salt Publishing have just launched their new and innovative short story list, in which I'm thrilled to be included , and on Friday lun...

Image is all for writers now, apparently, so what the heck are these pics doing popping up when I do as Debi Alper has just done and type m...

A fair-sized crowd on Thursday for the final event in the MMU Writing School series of readings, in which three of the school's own le...

Omigod, last night I committed what I consider to be one of the worst literary sins: I walked in late - ALMOST HALF AN HOUR LATE! - to a poe...

Waterstones last night for the Commonword launch of Mike Duff's second novel, The Hat Check Boy , and a very jolly night it was too. Mi...

Another MMU reading last night, this time from prize-winning novelist and children's writer Livi Michael. Livi is now teaching in the Wr...

A Guardian profile of playwright Martin Crimp continues the theme of ownership of one's work once it has gone out into the public domai...

Reading group again and Jenny's choice: Doctor Criminale by Malcolm Bradbury, the story of the search by young journalist Francis Jay f...

In my last post I described the experience of publishing The Birth Machine with changes imposed by the publisher which ran strongly counte...

Notwithstanding The Death of the Author, first comes Zadie Smith arguing that a work of literature is above all the expression of an author...

Yesterday in the Guardian Kira Cochrane rued the fact that, since playing The Queen in the film of that name, Helen Mirren has spoilt her...

To Taurus bar last night for a leaving drink for Cathy Bolton, Commonword 's innovative and inspirational publisher, who will be sorely ...

Sometimes little things happen out of the blue that make you happy, a little reward for no extra work at all. Today: a sweet email from an I...

On Friday in the Guardian Zoe Williams wrote this: It's all very well calling Radio 4 drama inexplicably bad, but someone must be able ...