Free Spirit Writers

As I update this page, I am a few months past my 73rd birthday. And, it must be emphasised, in no way do I feel that I am 73 (but read about The Thing here). My hair may be grey, my waistline circumference larger than I'd like, my legs unable to gallop like they once did, my eyes not as sharp as they could be, and my hearing is a little lopsided, but my enthusiasm for life is much more than when I was a boy! When people tell me to "Look back and remember . . ." my reply is: "Look back? I haven't stopped looking forward yet!"

My lovely wife Diane (she's nowhere near my age!) and I live in Bridlington, in East Yorkshire, England. We've been married since 3rd June 2000. We are both on the Board of Trustees for the National Association of Writers' Groups, Diane as Secretary and me as committee member. I also edit the association's newsletter Link, as well as organising the Annual Writing Festival in Durham in September (with help from many others). Oh, yes, and looking after their website.

In these pages you will find all manner of material. I write poetry, articles (mostly about Bridlington and its history), short pieces of drama, and letters to the editor(s).

Diane writes too, and has had many successes. She has won top prizes in Writers' Forum poetry competitions, as well as prizes with Writers' News (including one for £100) and Writing Magazine. We have both gained a win in the NAWG competitions - me with a fantasy/science fiction short story Brinsley's Beefburger and Diane with a formal poem Scarlet Fury - plus several certificates for runner-up and highly commended.

We also volunteer at the Harbour Heritage Museum on Bridlington's harbour. Occasionally we don the costumes of a Victorian fisherman and his wife. We relate the story of the heroism of Kit Brown, a lifeboat hero, in Don't Go! We have also performed a short play Silvered Wings, in honour of Amy Johnson, whose memorabilia is displayed in Sewerby Hall, near Bridlington. We also have a selection of humorous tales in poetry suitable for a more mature audience. Diane can also tell the tale of Talbot House and Toc H.

Diane and I write as Free Spirit Writers and now have no involvement with other local writing groups.

For Bridlington U3A, I lead the Local History group, meeting the last Friday of each month for a couple of hours. The Bridlington U3A website is here.

My novel, Full Fathom Five, was published in May 2005 by Biscuit Publishing Ltd. It fictionalises the life of Kit Brown mentioned above. You can read a sample chapter on www.b-published.com.

Diane's The Iron Harvest expresses her interest in the Great War, particularly the Ypres Salient in Belgium, Poperinge and Talbot House, where Tubby Clayton founded Toc H. This was also published in 2005 by Biscuit Publishing Ltd. and copies are sold at Talbot House to raise funds for its upkeep.

Have a look at the new books for sale here. If you're interested in old Bridlington, then these are for you.

There's a lot of my local material on www.bridlington.net.

If you'd like to get in touch: freespiritwriters@tesco.net

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This site was last updated on 2nd August 2009.

Lara King made us very welcome on her morning show on Friday, 20th February, 2009. We talked about Talbot House, and promoted the play of the same name performed at The Spotlight, West Street, Bridlington, on Saturday, 7th March.

You may have seen us on Antiques Roadshow from Bridlington, on Sunday, 22nd March, when Mike talked about an Arabic dictionary which allegedly belonged to Lawrence of Arabia.

Guess who we saw after we had left BBC Radio Humberside? Kim and Aggie were holding a Roadside Surgery in the centre of Hull. We had to ask one of the crowd who they were, because we don't have a TV and have never seen their programme "How Clean Is Your House?" The cameras were there so they must have been recording. There was a fairly big crowd of adoring fans - well that's what I supposed they were!

Mike and Diane
as Kit and Mary Brown.
This is how we look when performing our historical drama

Here we are on our wedding day, 3rd June 2000. Diane's daughter Jessica is in attendance

Mike and Diane on Grouse Mountain, North Vancouver, Canada, May 2007

Mike and Diane celebrate ten years together. Dinner at Rags, 24th January 2008.

Mike faces the Look North camera on 30th April for the programme about the refurbished Spa Royal Hall broadcast on 8th May 2008.

My Bridlington, hot off the press, on 30th April 2008.

Dressed for whale watching in Vancouver, June 2009

Ready to fly over Golden Ears Bridge, June 2009

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