redsmithsandrobins

Self Portrait – the good & the ugly

Hidden scars bring a red river of pain, soothed by the faint giggles radiating from the playroom. Siblings creating memories, tied with little hands. My dog’s swirling tail as he brings back his ball. My tempered balloon – hard to fill but too quickly popped. Unable to clear away the scattered rubber before myContinueContinue reading “Self Portrait – the good & the ugly”

Stuck

Stuck. Unable to move. The cold creeping over his being. The ice drawing his liquid out and turning his residue hard. Leave your trail. How can he leave his trail if he is still? Unable to move. Slowly does it. Slowly has always done it. He could retreat inside although the cold is felt everywhere.ContinueContinue reading “Stuck”

PERSEPOLIS – reviewed by a Westerner

Written with the intention to highlight the life of one Iranian girl growing up before and during the time of revolutionary Iran. Satrapi writes this non-fictional novel in the first person narrative representing her life. This moving and sometimes, hilarious adaption of her own personal journey touches my heart. Not only did this graphic novelContinueContinue reading “PERSEPOLIS – reviewed by a Westerner”

Under The Shadow: A review of a horror film with a message

Under the Shadow is a horror movie breaking the typical clichés to transmit an important message – one of understanding. Babak Anvari’s ‘horror story with a message’ has British students discussing the consequences of the cultural aspects of Iran between 1980 – 1988 during the Iran and Iraq war. Highlighting the ‘behind the scenes’ horrorsContinueContinue reading “Under The Shadow: A review of a horror film with a message”

FESTEN (review of a Dogma)

One chaotic, uncontrollable family harboring secrets disguised by lies. One sixtieth birthday party bringing them all together. One seeded revelation shared within a speech to break them all apart. Coming to grips with the suicide of his twin sister and having to attend the birthday party of his father, whom took advantage of the twoContinueContinue reading “FESTEN (review of a Dogma)”

Salvador Dali – Mountain Lake

Creative writing field trip to the Tate (Liverpool) for first year students to take notice of art and write a blog piece in response, opened the door for new challenges. Creative with words, now having to use visual stimulation to ignite an emotion was an interesting task. One that came after hard work, frustrating failedContinueContinue reading “Salvador Dali – Mountain Lake”

Holding up my family –

I have been the ‘young mum’, the ‘stay at home mum’, the ‘working mum’, the ‘trying to hold my shit together mum’ and now I am a ‘student mum’! I feel like I have many hats to my experienced shelf but that does not stop me feeling a little lost sometimes. Trying to be theContinueContinue reading “Holding up my family –”

Murakami – After Dark

Murakami depicted ‘After Dark’ in a first-person plural narrative, something we found most effective; connecting the reader to Murakami himself as we took this journey with him. We read this novel during the early hours of the night from our safe, warm beds as our minds wonder off after a long day. We found thatContinueContinue reading “Murakami – After Dark”

Multi-tasking Mum

Since starting my Creative Writing Undergraduate Degree in September (18), I have struggled with time management. Not in the ‘normal’ sense of leaving work/reading until the last minute or forgetting to complete a task; more that I have found myself not stopping from my 6am wake up call, until I hit my pillow at 10pm.ContinueContinue reading “Multi-tasking Mum”

My Manifesto

In life all we can do is make promises and plans for ourselves. Setting goals and planning our futures gives clear outlines to our life/writing journeys. To grow and mature, we must put ourselves in positions and situation that push our boundaries. We learn by listening to/observing others, research, preparation, trial and error. To ensureContinueContinue reading “My Manifesto”