John Mitchinson is the co-founder of Unbound, a revolutionary crowdfunding publishing concept. He is also the co-author of QI books and director of research for QI. As 26 Treasures builds support on the Unbound website, John tells Elen Lewis why we all need to make sure the 26 Treasures book sees the light of day. …more
Alice LaPlante is an author of fiction and non-fiction. She teaches creative writing at Stanford University and recently won the Wellcome trust Book Prize for 2011 for her debut novel Turn of Mind. Here she talks to Elen Lewis about how her business writing informs her fiction and what all first-time novelists should know. …more
In this month’s profile of a 26 member, we talk to Nick Parker, creative director of The Writer and author of The Exploding Boy. Here, Nick reveals how his self published short stories got reviewed by The Guardian.…more
Every month, we’ll be interviewing a writer about their craft and what it means to be working with words. As his latest show, OLD ME opens at the Roundhouse, spoken word artist, Polarbear, talks to Elen Lewis about fixing words and favourite rhymes …more
Every month, we’ll be asking a writer where they draw their inspirations from. Here, Joanna Briscoe, best-selling author of novels including ‘Sleep with Me’ on her favourite book, place, word, film and writer. …more
Ahead of novelist Gillian Slovo’s appearance at 26′s Festival of Words, Wordstock on 8 October, we asked her to name her favourite novel. “I would have said Vasilly Grossman’s ‘Life and Fate’ but given that it is currently all over Radio 4, people will think I am jumping on a band wagon, which I absolutely …more
If there’s one person responsible for raising the profile of business copywriting and writing for design over the last decade it’s John Simmons. He might blush, but the influence of his books and the Dark Angels writer training courses he helps run can hardly be overstated. He’s also one of those remarkable people who seem …more
Paddington Station is a handsome rail terminus rich in industrial heritage, but even its best friends would acknowledge it’s not the ideal place to conduct a penetrating interview. Never ones to shirk a challenge, that’s where Richard and I chose to meet on a blustery January afternoon before heading for a crowded concourse café. Richard …more
To leafy Leamington Spa, to interview design-savvy writer Jim Davies, who picked up a D&AD black pencil for his work with the Partners on the National Gallery’s Grand Tour, and keeps us amused with his monthly observations in ‘Design Week’. The taxi driver who picked me up at Leamington Spa station generously provided a running commentary …more
To Manchester’s achingly hip Northern Quarter to meet Nick Asbury, a marketing copywriter with a broad range of clients and a furious turnover of jobs. He’s also the creator of some superb pieces of promotional material including Pentone, a cool spoof of the Pantone chip idea using different tones of voice instead of colours, and …more
