Jonathan Gibbs
@jonathangibbs.bsky.social
Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at City St George's, Uni of London. I curate the short story project apersonalanthology.com. Novels are Randall or The Painted Grape, and The Large Door. Poetry is Spring Journal. https://linktr.ee/jonathangibbs
Pinned
2025 Reading 1: Fifty Sounds by Polly Barton. A fascinating use of format for a memoir/linguistic commentary: Barton picks fifty onomatopoeic or more broadly 'mimetic' Japanese phrases and explores their meaning to her, using the form to narrate her experience of working in Japan as a teacher.
What’s the vibe where you are?
November 29, 2025 at 6:47 PM
What’s the vibe where you are?
Molloy running, just in case that image sets you for pleasant dreams.
November 28, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Molloy running, just in case that image sets you for pleasant dreams.
Reposted by Jonathan Gibbs
London and environs - come along!
The Goldsmiths Prize 2025 winner event!
@cdrose.bsky.social reading from his winning novel & in conversation with @asack.bsky.social.
📍@goldsmithsuol.bsky.social
📅 14th January, from 7pm
FREE TIX 👇
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cd-rose-wi...
@cdrose.bsky.social reading from his winning novel & in conversation with @asack.bsky.social.
📍@goldsmithsuol.bsky.social
📅 14th January, from 7pm
FREE TIX 👇
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cd-rose-wi...
C.D. Rose, winner of the Goldsmiths Prize 2025
The Goldsmiths Writers' Centre Presents the winner of the Goldsmiths Prize 2025 in conversation with Amy Sackville, Chair of Judges.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
November 28, 2025 at 2:19 PM
London and environs - come along!
Reposted by Jonathan Gibbs
I love this idea. My dad died when I was three and I had to figure out simple things like how to tie a tie and even shave on my own. Please retweet this because I know there are a lot of kids out there who could use some help with day to day life.
November 26, 2025 at 10:46 PM
I love this idea. My dad died when I was three and I had to figure out simple things like how to tie a tie and even shave on my own. Please retweet this because I know there are a lot of kids out there who could use some help with day to day life.
Son has got trendy new trousers. Couldn’t resist.
November 27, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Son has got trendy new trousers. Couldn’t resist.
Reposted by Jonathan Gibbs
Wish they would ask me to do a cats Top Twenty! Though did once compile a list of Cats With Hidden Agendas.
Purr evil: cats with hidden agendas – ranked!
As Goose the Cat has stolen the show in Captain Marvel, we pick 10 fiendish felines from past films
www.theguardian.com
November 27, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Wish they would ask me to do a cats Top Twenty! Though did once compile a list of Cats With Hidden Agendas.
Reposted by Jonathan Gibbs
... a follow-up post, that, to a more general discussion of the novel: anthonyburgessblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/a-cl...
A Clockwork Orange (1962). 1: Queer As
Re-reading A Clockwork Orange was a process of unlearning my assumptions about it. Before, I took the novel to be a fairly straightforw...
anthonyburgessblog.blogspot.com
November 27, 2025 at 12:02 PM
... a follow-up post, that, to a more general discussion of the novel: anthonyburgessblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/a-cl...
Reposted by Jonathan Gibbs
Hey, guess what? Issue 1.1.2 of @draughtjournal.bsky.social has just gone live, with great new work by Dawn Chan and Bhanu Kapil.
Please take a look, and pass it on.
Please take a look, and pass it on.
draught
Description
draughtjournal.com
November 27, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Hey, guess what? Issue 1.1.2 of @draughtjournal.bsky.social has just gone live, with great new work by Dawn Chan and Bhanu Kapil.
Please take a look, and pass it on.
Please take a look, and pass it on.
Reposted by Jonathan Gibbs
For some reason had this popping unbidden into my thoughts this week, to the extent I had to look it up & obviously it's Shakespeare. I wonder if it was like this in his head all the time, an ongoing stream of uncanny verbal music
November 27, 2025 at 8:25 AM
For some reason had this popping unbidden into my thoughts this week, to the extent I had to look it up & obviously it's Shakespeare. I wonder if it was like this in his head all the time, an ongoing stream of uncanny verbal music
It’s okay everyone, I’ve found my book, that I’ve been looking for for the last 24 hours. That I couldn’t find last night when I wanted to read in bed. I’ve found the book I was looking for. (Temporary Kings by Anthony Powell, in case you were interested.) Yes, I found it in the laundry basket.
November 26, 2025 at 10:53 PM
It’s okay everyone, I’ve found my book, that I’ve been looking for for the last 24 hours. That I couldn’t find last night when I wanted to read in bed. I’ve found the book I was looking for. (Temporary Kings by Anthony Powell, in case you were interested.) Yes, I found it in the laundry basket.
It's Wednesday evening and officially NEARLY the weekend... and A Personal Anthology! This week's guest editor, picking and introducing a dozen favourite short stories, is @ailsacox.bsky.social, author of Precipitation (short stories) and Writing Short Stories (Routledge).
Details and sign up:
Details and sign up:
About - A Personal Anthology
A weekly guest-editor picks and introduces a personal anthology of twelve favourite short stories. Click to read A Personal Anthology, by Jonathan Gibbs, a Substack publication with thousands of subsc...
apersonalanthology.substack.com
November 26, 2025 at 7:45 PM
It's Wednesday evening and officially NEARLY the weekend... and A Personal Anthology! This week's guest editor, picking and introducing a dozen favourite short stories, is @ailsacox.bsky.social, author of Precipitation (short stories) and Writing Short Stories (Routledge).
Details and sign up:
Details and sign up:
Reposted by Jonathan Gibbs
Sunlight falls through windows, adding to the geometric pattern on floor. A woman is playing music. And a man listens from the shadowed bed. Painted by Emanuel de Witte, whose day is today.
November 25, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Sunlight falls through windows, adding to the geometric pattern on floor. A woman is playing music. And a man listens from the shadowed bed. Painted by Emanuel de Witte, whose day is today.
Reposted by Jonathan Gibbs
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
November 25, 2025 at 9:26 AM
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
Star Wars Shreddies sticker backdrops ranked.
November 24, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Star Wars Shreddies sticker backdrops ranked.
And thus I learned about the video game series based on Tarkovsky’s Stalker and its source novel.
And no, I’ve checked, it’s *not* the video game based on Stalker that you were hoping for.
And no, I’ve checked, it’s *not* the video game based on Stalker that you were hoping for.
November 22, 2025 at 10:33 PM
And thus I learned about the video game series based on Tarkovsky’s Stalker and its source novel.
And no, I’ve checked, it’s *not* the video game based on Stalker that you were hoping for.
And no, I’ve checked, it’s *not* the video game based on Stalker that you were hoping for.
Five adults (two parents, three kids) live in our house. We are very slowly watching The Sopranos, an episode a night when we’re all in together, which is rare. I tried to imagine a spreadsheet with a different show for each combination of people (min. 2) to watch. My head began to hurt.
November 22, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Five adults (two parents, three kids) live in our house. We are very slowly watching The Sopranos, an episode a night when we’re all in together, which is rare. I tried to imagine a spreadsheet with a different show for each combination of people (min. 2) to watch. My head began to hurt.
Reposted by Jonathan Gibbs
Today at 10.30am in BBC Radio 4. I do hope you can listen.
A little advance notice: we have a lovely episode of the Kitchen Cabinet coming up tomorrow, marking this week’s world children’s day. We’re at the Academy of St Nicholas in Liverpool and all our questions come young people in Yr 7 and up. 10.30am on BBC Radio 4
November 22, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Today at 10.30am in BBC Radio 4. I do hope you can listen.
There's still time to sign up for @shedworking.bsky.social's Personal Anthology - a dozen favourite short stories, picked and introduced.
Hitting inboxes 2pm!
Details below...
Hitting inboxes 2pm!
Details below...
It's Wednesday evening, and so nearly the weekend – and A Personal Anthology. This week's guest editor, picking and introducing a dozen favourite short stories, is Alex Johnson a.k.a. @shedworking.bsky.social.
Sign up to get it your inboxes this Friday!
apersonalanthology.substack.com/about
Sign up to get it your inboxes this Friday!
apersonalanthology.substack.com/about
About - A Personal Anthology
A weekly guest-editor picks and introduces a personal anthology of twelve favourite short stories. Click to read A Personal Anthology, by Jonathan Gibbs, a Substack publication with thousands of subsc...
apersonalanthology.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 1:10 PM
There's still time to sign up for @shedworking.bsky.social's Personal Anthology - a dozen favourite short stories, picked and introduced.
Hitting inboxes 2pm!
Details below...
Hitting inboxes 2pm!
Details below...
Reposted by Jonathan Gibbs
The Necks have been dominating my car stereo for weeks now, the 3 CDs of this sprawling album in constant rotation. Disquiet might end up one of my very favorites of their vast catalog before the year ends
November 20, 2025 at 8:07 PM
The Necks have been dominating my car stereo for weeks now, the 3 CDs of this sprawling album in constant rotation. Disquiet might end up one of my very favorites of their vast catalog before the year ends
I really enjoyed night’s @kirkdalebooks.bsky.social Book Group discussion of The Haunting of Hill House. And here’s the next meeting’s reading, ready to go. (See how they hook you in??)
November 20, 2025 at 12:39 PM
I really enjoyed night’s @kirkdalebooks.bsky.social Book Group discussion of The Haunting of Hill House. And here’s the next meeting’s reading, ready to go. (See how they hook you in??)
It's Wednesday evening, and so nearly the weekend – and A Personal Anthology. This week's guest editor, picking and introducing a dozen favourite short stories, is Alex Johnson a.k.a. @shedworking.bsky.social.
Sign up to get it your inboxes this Friday!
apersonalanthology.substack.com/about
Sign up to get it your inboxes this Friday!
apersonalanthology.substack.com/about
About - A Personal Anthology
A weekly guest-editor picks and introduces a personal anthology of twelve favourite short stories. Click to read A Personal Anthology, by Jonathan Gibbs, a Substack publication with thousands of subsc...
apersonalanthology.substack.com
November 19, 2025 at 7:04 PM
It's Wednesday evening, and so nearly the weekend – and A Personal Anthology. This week's guest editor, picking and introducing a dozen favourite short stories, is Alex Johnson a.k.a. @shedworking.bsky.social.
Sign up to get it your inboxes this Friday!
apersonalanthology.substack.com/about
Sign up to get it your inboxes this Friday!
apersonalanthology.substack.com/about
Reposted by Jonathan Gibbs
I'm baffled by Radio 3's continued insistence that its listenership need instructions on how to use the smart speaker that they (apparently) own
November 19, 2025 at 10:59 AM
I'm baffled by Radio 3's continued insistence that its listenership need instructions on how to use the smart speaker that they (apparently) own
Is that a completed first draft? Yes, I believe it is. Time to start turning it into something readable.
November 18, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Is that a completed first draft? Yes, I believe it is. Time to start turning it into something readable.
Have to say, that statue of Bridget Jones is pretty lifelike.
Tuesday’s @theguardian.com front page: Starmer faces Labour revolt over hardline asylum plans www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
November 17, 2025 at 10:34 PM
Have to say, that statue of Bridget Jones is pretty lifelike.
I've updated the apersonalanthology.com website with @iancritchley.bsky.social's selection – his pick of and introduction to a dozen favourite short stories.
Check them out here, along with nearly 3,500 other short story recommendations!
Check them out here, along with nearly 3,500 other short story recommendations!
A Personal Anthology
Writers, critics and others dream-edit a personal anthology of their favourite short stories
apersonalanthology.com
November 16, 2025 at 9:40 PM
I've updated the apersonalanthology.com website with @iancritchley.bsky.social's selection – his pick of and introduction to a dozen favourite short stories.
Check them out here, along with nearly 3,500 other short story recommendations!
Check them out here, along with nearly 3,500 other short story recommendations!