Richard V. Hirst is a writer and editor from Manchester.
WRITING THE UNCANNY
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"A brilliant and winding exploration. The perfect companion to all things weird and wonderful." - Daisy Johnson
"Superb and timely." - Andrew Michael Hurley Some of the best contemporary authors reveal how to craft unsettling fiction.
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From M.R. James to Shirley Jackson, the Uncanny has long provided fertile ground for writers – and recent years have seen a notable resurgence in both literature and film. But how does the Uncanny work? What can a writer do to ensure their fiction haunts the reader’s imagination? Writing the Uncanny is an essential guide for both the casual reader and the aspiring writer of strange tales.
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WE WERE STRANGERS
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"A potent collection of short stories." - The Observer
"Heartbreaking... brilliantly strange... disturbingly odd..." - The Irish Times One of Rough Trade's Top Five Books of the Year |
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We Were Strangers is a collection of stories, edited by myself, each of which takes its title and inspiration from Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures. It features original fiction from Sophie Mackintosh, Eley Williams, Toby Litt and others.
“With the spectral presence of Curtis and co. sitting obliquely at the centre, here ten authors go spiralling off in bold, new and highly unexpected directions.” – Benjamin Myers "These collected stories are achingly modern and fully embrace contemporary anxieties and preoccupations. They confront us with intense feelings and show us places we may not always wish to be, but – just like Joy Division themselves – they have the collective power to stay firmly rooted in our minds." - Carol Morley, The Observer
"A death-rattling good read." - Litro "A marvellous collection, shot through with pathos but also with subtle comedy, sly observation of character and situation and a deep sense of place. A must-buy, not only for Joy Division fans, but for anybody interested in what the short story is doing today." - John Burnside "Original and clever, haunting and uplifting." - Alison Moore 
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SOME SHORT STORIES
which you can read online
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A BLOG
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A PLEA
to help a struggling down-and-out just about scrape by.
