David Belbin
@davidbelbin.bsky.social
Nottingham novelist. Poetry reader. Music nerd. Movie lover. From October 25-March 26, I'm publishing 'Greeneland' a serial novel set 100 years ago, covering Graham Greene's 4 months in Nottingham davidbelbin.substack.com. A dog, a job, a woman & a church.
Lovely hour at Bromley House Library. John Goodridge talked to Ian Collins about Blythe Spirit, his new biography of the great Ronald Blythe, who I was lucky enough to know via Stanley Middleton. Here he is having a sherry at Bromley House in 2006 when John and I organised them a joint book launch.
November 29, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Lovely hour at Bromley House Library. John Goodridge talked to Ian Collins about Blythe Spirit, his new biography of the great Ronald Blythe, who I was lucky enough to know via Stanley Middleton. Here he is having a sherry at Bromley House in 2006 when John and I organised them a joint book launch.
Very glad I was introduced to Jack Shepherd two years ago at Trevor Griffiths' funeral. I was able to tell him how much his performance in Trevor's series Bill Brand meant to me as an 18 year old. A fine, forceful actor and a lovely man with an incredibly strong body of work to remember him by. RIP.
November 26, 2025 at 10:23 AM
Very glad I was introduced to Jack Shepherd two years ago at Trevor Griffiths' funeral. I was able to tell him how much his performance in Trevor's series Bill Brand meant to me as an 18 year old. A fine, forceful actor and a lovely man with an incredibly strong body of work to remember him by. RIP.
Wrote a thing about Constraints in The Novel, with a side note on Ian McEwan, in relation to my serialised novel about Graham Greene in Nottingham 100 years ago, all of it free to read at davidbelbin.substack.com/p/bonus-post...
November 24, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Wrote a thing about Constraints in The Novel, with a side note on Ian McEwan, in relation to my serialised novel about Graham Greene in Nottingham 100 years ago, all of it free to read at davidbelbin.substack.com/p/bonus-post...
This is an excellent interview with Rickie Lee Jones. Long, great Van Morrison section. No argument that Veedon Fleece is his finest album btw but @andrewmale.bsky.social & Rickie Lee's confusion over its track order makes sense when you see the cover: it lists the songs in entirely the wrong order.
November 20, 2025 at 7:04 PM
This is an excellent interview with Rickie Lee Jones. Long, great Van Morrison section. No argument that Veedon Fleece is his finest album btw but @andrewmale.bsky.social & Rickie Lee's confusion over its track order makes sense when you see the cover: it lists the songs in entirely the wrong order.
Fascinating Neil Kinnock letter about Bob Worcester in today’s Guardian. Labour is misguidedly opposed to Electoral Reform but should know better. Under FPTP it lost the 1992 General Election by just 1,240 votes.
October 29, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Fascinating Neil Kinnock letter about Bob Worcester in today’s Guardian. Labour is misguidedly opposed to Electoral Reform but should know better. Under FPTP it lost the 1992 General Election by just 1,240 votes.
Public service announcement: the best ghost film so far this century, Alejandro Amenábar's sublime The Others, is on BBC4 & iPlayer next week. If you like ghost stories and haven't seen it before, I envy you.
October 23, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Public service announcement: the best ghost film so far this century, Alejandro Amenábar's sublime The Others, is on BBC4 & iPlayer next week. If you like ghost stories and haven't seen it before, I envy you.
Just seen a terrific production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf directed by Cara Nolan, at Curve studio in Leicester. Tremendous ensemble: colour blind casting. Cathy Tyson & Patrick Robinson never once making you think of Liz & Richard. Holds up as a classic. www.curveonline.co.uk/whats-on/sho...
October 22, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Just seen a terrific production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf directed by Cara Nolan, at Curve studio in Leicester. Tremendous ensemble: colour blind casting. Cathy Tyson & Patrick Robinson never once making you think of Liz & Richard. Holds up as a classic. www.curveonline.co.uk/whats-on/sho...
Trying to find a way to keep using Word without paying over 40% PA extra (increase due to AI, which I abhor, for obvious reasons). But the 'classic' compromise no longer seems to be available and the AI chatbot at Microshit will only offer me a £120 license that works on just one device. Any advice?
October 20, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Trying to find a way to keep using Word without paying over 40% PA extra (increase due to AI, which I abhor, for obvious reasons). But the 'classic' compromise no longer seems to be available and the AI chatbot at Microshit will only offer me a £120 license that works on just one device. Any advice?
'This is your brain on autocracy.' A poem from Tony Towle's new collection 'Late Sketches and Studies'. John Ashbery wrote, 'Tony Towle is one of the New York School's best-kept secrets'.
October 19, 2025 at 3:09 PM
'This is your brain on autocracy.' A poem from Tony Towle's new collection 'Late Sketches and Studies'. John Ashbery wrote, 'Tony Towle is one of the New York School's best-kept secrets'.
John Lucas, the least online person I knew (never used email, or any other aspect of the internet), managed to leave an online archive of over 60 pieces for London Grip, which is a valuable resource for the sort of writers published by small presses. Lovely article. londongrip.co.uk/2025/10/john...
October 18, 2025 at 3:17 PM
John Lucas, the least online person I knew (never used email, or any other aspect of the internet), managed to leave an online archive of over 60 pieces for London Grip, which is a valuable resource for the sort of writers published by small presses. Lovely article. londongrip.co.uk/2025/10/john...
Jalen Ngonda was all we hoped he’d be at Nottingham Rock City. Sweet soul with a brilliant falsetto, a cracking band and a warm, wonderfully diverse, adoring crowd. Go see.
October 17, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Jalen Ngonda was all we hoped he’d be at Nottingham Rock City. Sweet soul with a brilliant falsetto, a cracking band and a warm, wonderfully diverse, adoring crowd. Go see.
Charity shop jazz: a thing I haven't seen before. The owner has (I'm presuming) meticulously recorded each time he played the CD. Looks like he (and surely it's a 'he') got his money's worth.
October 15, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Charity shop jazz: a thing I haven't seen before. The owner has (I'm presuming) meticulously recorded each time he played the CD. Looks like he (and surely it's a 'he') got his money's worth.
The Holy, Beat, and Crazy Next Thing. A signed Jack Kerouac episode from On The Road, written in London, was found in the estate sale of a 40-year dead, murdered mafia boss. You couldn't make it up (and Kerouac didn't, he only changed the names). Here's page one. www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...
October 10, 2025 at 12:44 PM
The Holy, Beat, and Crazy Next Thing. A signed Jack Kerouac episode from On The Road, written in London, was found in the estate sale of a 40-year dead, murdered mafia boss. You couldn't make it up (and Kerouac didn't, he only changed the names). Here's page one. www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...
Bloody hell but House of Dynamite is tremendous. In 1981, I used to show Dr Strangelove or Failsafe to public meetings for CND. Today, I’d show this 2 demonstrate how easily nuclear war could happen. On Netflix soon but really worth seeing on big screen. Props to Kathryn Bigelow for getting it made.
October 9, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Bloody hell but House of Dynamite is tremendous. In 1981, I used to show Dr Strangelove or Failsafe to public meetings for CND. Today, I’d show this 2 demonstrate how easily nuclear war could happen. On Netflix soon but really worth seeing on big screen. Props to Kathryn Bigelow for getting it made.
Tempting to say Be Here Now or later albums by subsequently cancelled artist (Morrissey, Arcade Fire or Ryan Adams are all in the can no longer listen to category) but honest answer is the only album I've ever returned (to Nottingham Selectadisc) because 'it's awful'. Neil Young's Landing on Water.
October 9, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Tempting to say Be Here Now or later albums by subsequently cancelled artist (Morrissey, Arcade Fire or Ryan Adams are all in the can no longer listen to category) but honest answer is the only album I've ever returned (to Nottingham Selectadisc) because 'it's awful'. Neil Young's Landing on Water.
No, that was The Times.
October 7, 2025 at 3:36 PM
No, that was The Times.
Last Orders. A poem by my dear friend, John Lucas, published in 2000. John was a fine poet, professor, critic, novelist, cornet player and publisher. He died a few days ago, at 88. It's his poetry he'd most want us to remember him by, and we still have that. But oh how much I'll miss his friendship.
October 2, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Last Orders. A poem by my dear friend, John Lucas, published in 2000. John was a fine poet, professor, critic, novelist, cornet player and publisher. He died a few days ago, at 88. It's his poetry he'd most want us to remember him by, and we still have that. But oh how much I'll miss his friendship.
Dry the Rain. Pleased to demonstrate that The Beta Band were in top form at their reunion show in Rock City, Nottingham, over 22 years after I last saw them.
September 30, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Dry the Rain. Pleased to demonstrate that The Beta Band were in top form at their reunion show in Rock City, Nottingham, over 22 years after I last saw them.
Greeneland goes to Berkhamsted. An account of the excellent 2025 Graham Greene Birthplace Trust conference, full of terrific talks on the fiction with an entertaining @aiannucci.bsky.social interview, movies & free subscription link to my serial novel, Greeneland. www.davidbelbin.com/blog/2025/09...
September 29, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Greeneland goes to Berkhamsted. An account of the excellent 2025 Graham Greene Birthplace Trust conference, full of terrific talks on the fiction with an entertaining @aiannucci.bsky.social interview, movies & free subscription link to my serial novel, Greeneland. www.davidbelbin.com/blog/2025/09...
Caroline Bird's The Last Stand of Mary Whitehouse ends @nottmplayhouse.bsky.social on Saturday with superb performances by Maxine Peake & Samuel Barnett. On Sunday, BBC4 are showing this doc, for anyone who hasn't had enough of the dangerous old bat by then. nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk/events/the-l...
September 24, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Caroline Bird's The Last Stand of Mary Whitehouse ends @nottmplayhouse.bsky.social on Saturday with superb performances by Maxine Peake & Samuel Barnett. On Sunday, BBC4 are showing this doc, for anyone who hasn't had enough of the dangerous old bat by then. nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk/events/the-l...
Once again, for the evening crowd. A serial novel about Graham Greene in Nottingham. There's a bit more about the book here: www.davidbelbin.com/blog/2025/09...
September 22, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Once again, for the evening crowd. A serial novel about Graham Greene in Nottingham. There's a bit more about the book here: www.davidbelbin.com/blog/2025/09...
Prime Pink Floyd content in today’s Guardian.
September 17, 2025 at 8:02 AM
Prime Pink Floyd content in today’s Guardian.
No argument here. The recentish fan club only release The Character Of Saint Etienne has more of a proper album feel. Indeed, any of the four below make more sense. As does the superb 7 track EP, Places to Visit.
September 15, 2025 at 1:36 PM
No argument here. The recentish fan club only release The Character Of Saint Etienne has more of a proper album feel. Indeed, any of the four below make more sense. As does the superb 7 track EP, Places to Visit.
Outstanding performances from Maxine Peak & Samuel Barnett in Caroline Bird’s brave, multi-faceted play, ‘The last stand of Mary Whitehouse’, which brought back a lot of memories. Booking until September 27 @nottmplayhouse.bsky.social nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk/events/the-l...
September 10, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Outstanding performances from Maxine Peak & Samuel Barnett in Caroline Bird’s brave, multi-faceted play, ‘The last stand of Mary Whitehouse’, which brought back a lot of memories. Booking until September 27 @nottmplayhouse.bsky.social nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk/events/the-l...