Four of my poems have just been published in the Spring 2026 edition of The Awakenings Review, a bi-annual American literary journal based in Chicago. The award-winning print journal is entirely devoted to publishing works by artists, writers and poets with lived experience of mental illness. You can order it online and read a free sample here! (My poems are not part of the sample.) Thanks to editor-in-chef Robert Lundin for sparking my World Bipolar Day!
https://awakeningsproject.org 💛
The Hong Kong Writers Circle launched its 21st anthology Coming of Age at the Asia Society on Sat night to an (almost) full house! I shared a hairy moment from my trilogy of short humour stories, Ageless. HUGE thanks to Team HKILF for putting together a cracking festival, anthology editors Jay & Julian, all contributors and most of all, the unbeatable audience!
Always one of the highlights of my year, I had an absolute blast reading at the Hong Kong Lit Fest launch of the Women in Publishing Society‘s anthology Imprint 24. My reading was called In Bed with Sadie and a lot less sexy than it sounds. Big thanks to the women with WiPS for your inspiration, love, light and laughter!
The book is available in Bookazine and Lion Rock Press, who co-sponsored the event at the FCC. It’s brimming with literary goodness by wondrous women writers (and me). HUGE thanks to editor extraordinaire Carol Dyer for inviting me back and the fabulous outgoing and incoming WiPS committees for choreographing and hosting such an epic event!
Join me and the women with WiPS for another fizz-fuelled fiesta celebrating women’s voices! The Women in Publishing Society‘s Hong Kong International Literary Festival 2026 launch of Imprint 24 takes place at the FCC 4 March from 7-10pm! Tickets include two drinks, a delicious spread of complimentary canapés, free copies of the anthology, readings, speeches and performances, amid the legendary hospitality of the FCC!
My contributions to this year’s anthology are a couple of musings and a delulu doodle. While my pieces strike a slightly more reflective note than usual, I’ll be performing a humorous piece from an upcoming episode of Sharp Pains at the event by kind invitation of editor Carol Dyer, In Bed with Sadie. Don’t miss it!!!
https://www.hkwips.com/event/launch-party-imprint-24
Recent WiPS HK lit fest events!
https://www.hkwips.com/2024/imprint-22-launch-party
https://www.hkwips.com/2023/imprint-comes-of-age-at-the-fcc
https://www.hkwips.com/2025/imprint-23-is-released-in-style-at-the-fcc
In an exciting break with tradition (usually we are at the Fringe), the Hong Kong Writers Circle‘s Hong Kong International Literary Festival launch of its 21st anthology Coming of Age, edited by dream team Jay Oatway and Julian Lyden, will be held at the Asia Society Sat 7 March from 8-9.30pm. My contribution is like my bum curtains: Ageless. The Circle‘s last two lit fest launches of Score and Lost in Transition sold out so hurry, hurry to grab your tix! I’ll be among the readers. Afterparty TBA (but there will be one…)
https://www.eventbrite.hk/e/book-launch-21-coming-of-age-tickets-1981552717520
Past HKWC Lit Fest launches!
My review of Nifraz Rifaz‘s soaring debut novel Paper Plane just crash landed in The Hooghly Review – on Christmas Eve no less! Thanks Santa/ editor Ankit Raj Ojha for this lovely little festive hit of dopamine! The book launched in Sri Lanka Nov 29. I was invited to give an advanced comment for the launch, which mutated into my first EVER book review! I may have slightly overdone the plane metaphors……
I’ll be back in The Hooghly Review 15 Feb 2026 with my latest humour column, Flush Fiction. Yep – if Nifraz’s novel doesn’t give you turbulence, my column certainly will!
https://thehooghlyreview.com/paper-plane-takes-off-review-of-nifraz-rifaz-soaring-debut/
I’m excited to share the ident for one of my two new podcasts! Thanks to artist Victoria Mae Martin, a creative dynamo so committed to her craft and our collaborations that she nearly lost a digit this week! But is it more comedy, more terror, or just more terrible comedy? No spoilers – you’ll have to dive in!
Comedy of Terrors is also the working title of a collection of my short stories and flash!
Couldn’t decide on a colour scheme so did 5 – that’s ADHD!
Your opportunity to score tickets for the HK Lit Fest launch of the HKWC‘s 20th anniversary anthology Score has arrived – and ended, as tickets have already sold out!!! But please don’t let a trivial matter like no tickets put you off! Where there’s free tickets, there’s no-shows, so it’s DEFINITELY worth showing up for the 6pm event. If there’s space, you’ll be wafted in. If there’s not, you can still join us afterwards for a drink at speakeasy Dragonfly. I’ll be reading one of my ‘Two Shit Shorts’ (the actual title, not just me being modest).
Whether you’ve already got tix or chance it on the door, I hope to see you in the Jockey Club Theatre of the HK Fringe Cub from 6-7pm on Sun 2 March!
https://www.amazon.com/Score-Writers-Circle-Anniversary-Anthology-ebook/dp/B0DZ32R7S5
https://bookazine.com.hk/products/score-the-hong-kong-writers-circle-anthology
Tickets are now on sale for the Women in Publishing Society‘s launch of their annual anthology, Imprint 23, at the Hong Kong Literary Festival 2025! Two of my short stories (a humorous piece and an essay on mental health) have slithered their way into this year’s anthology and I’m delighted to be invited to read (the humorous piece) at the event. Last year I read The Snide Sniper and the year before that it was Bake Fail. Fingers crossed this year’s attendees are just as appreciative. And by appreciative I mean inebriated.
Join me and the women with WiPS for a literary hotpot celebrating women’s diverse voices at the FCC 5 March from 7pm!
https://www.hkwips.com/event/launch-party-imprint-23/
https://www.hkwips.com/imprint/imprint-23-at-a-glance/
https://www.hkwips.com/2025/imprint-23-is-released-in-style-at-the-fcc/
Taking part in the HK Lit Fest launches of the Hong Kong Writers Circle‘s and Women in Publishing Society‘s anthologies is always a hit of dopamine. In 2025, two of my flashiest flash fiction pieces (aptly titled ‘Two Shit Shorts’) will be flushed in HKWC anthology Score. The event will be held at the Jockey Club Theatre at the Hong Kong Fringe on 2 March at 6pm – and as it’s a celebration of 20 years of the Circle AND a leaving party for some of us, come to party!
The Women in Publishing Society will be launching their anthology Imprint 23 at the FCC from 7-10pm on Weds 5th March. This is always a blast. I’ll be reading at both events. Wheeeeee!
