- unpublished writer -
Andrew J. Kingston
Projects
I've written two extended pieces, which I hestiate to call 'novels' , but there, I just did. One is a pithy look at Home Counties town life called Bus Station Carnival, the other an account of a Home Counties based jazz musician called Heron in a Field of Cows. I ended up reasonably happy with the first; not so the second.
Here are some of the things I've written which have seen the light of day and are available, in one form or another for your perusal. Then there's always the BLOGS featuring concise film/book reviews and post travel real time travel blogs......
Clod Magazine and Books
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First emerged in 1987; still rumbling on into the twenty-first century, with contributions coming from a small group, which is also responsible for the Luton Haiku and The Knockouts 'alternative' beat combination music group.
Clod Magazine is an irreverent look at every day normality. It's kind of hyper-real clerical sarcasm with a punky dada-y feel, and often with a Lutonian twist. I contribute a few pages per issue and maintain the website. Clod Books includes some interesting stuff from the Clod team and from guest contributors. I've written for and manage the production of Fold Editions, which pulls together nice, niche stuff on different themes.
Clod Magazine also has a house band, The Knockouts, for whom I play drums. Knockouts, Clod and Haiku stuff can be picked up from the link below.
Luton Haiku
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I contribute a few poems to a project which was listed in 2015's Guinness Book of World Records on account of us having published more haiku about one town than anyone else has about any other town.
For a flavour of this, you could do worse than look at our Twitter and Facebook feeds.
I collated and wrote contexts for the accumlated poems every couple of years and coordinate the production of A6 pocket size volumes.We did five of these (see Bandcamp below) then gave up due to a lack of interest. The social media side is still going strong.
Online blogs​
The Luton Haiku exists mainly online, Clod Magazine has a weak presence. I write or am involved, however, in a number of online projects, sometimes with the Clod Magazine/Knockouts band members
"On the Rails; Elliot P Smoke in America"
It was always my dream to travel across America overland. I'll admit it, I was sucked right in by Simon and Garfunkel's America every bit as much as Beat writers and fancied the whole thing by Greyhound. I'll also admit to being fond of train travel, so took the Amtrak option.
On the Rails is a full colour 132 page book, with tips, top 25 lists, prose thoughts, photograpahs and ephemera generated while on the trip. It costs £15 from the link below, or you can go and visit the site for the online blog version. There are other On the Rails journies; see the Blog page.
Short stories
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Back in darker ages, I put together two collections of short stories, European Echoes and The Cat and the Calamari. Some of these appeared elsewhere. There are half a dozen stories or so in each; if you'd like me to post you a copy, Paypal £4 to elliotpsmoke AT gmail.com.
Idit Elia Nathan - "Phone Home"
Idit is a multidisciplinary artist. Her Phone Home exhibition (more details here) included three stories. Mine was called Past Present Future. Also featuring were Sarah Wood and Ali Smith. Yes, THAT Ali Smith. And THAT Sarah Wood, for that matter. This was, and still is tremendously exciting.
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You can hear me recite my story on Idit's Soundcloud. If you're less brave, it's included in the 1973 entry in my Fifty Years of Absurdity project.
The Colossus and other stories​
Another project with Luton very much at its core. I'm one of 14 writers artist Nicole Mollett worked with to produce The Colossus and other stories, which is a beautiful thing. There's more about it on Nicole's site. A great chance to be associated with some lovely and excellent people. Not least Nicole herself, but also buddies from the Luton scene, old and new, including Stephen Whiting, Lee Nelson, Simon Cleary, Neil Fox and Rae Leaver.
Vandalism Begins at Home
Luton scene guide. A focus on music, and a focus within music on heavy and alternative, which kind of reflects the town and many other towns, I'd imagine. Usually hard print and always excellent. I've written live reviews, opinion and fiction pieces in the past, either under my proper name, or through my Elliot Smoke moniker (or derivative thereof).
Loads of other good stuff linked from their site.