Once Upon a Time in Hitchin

Join J.S. and other members of the Society of Authors at Once Upon a Hitchin for a magical evening as Hertfordshire’s (and near by's) finest authors bring their fiction and poetry to life, live.

Tickets are now available from the Hitchin Festival Box Office for Once Upon A Hitchin at Hitchin Library, Hitchin on Thursday 31st July 2025 starting at 6:30PM.

A Writing Life Retold For OUSC

The next OUSC event will take place on Thursday, 10th July 202 at Little St Mary’s, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1QG (refreshments and a chance to mingle from 7pm, ready for a 7.30pm start), when OUSC member J.S. Watts (Somerville, English) will speak about ‘A Writing Life’.

"J.S.Watts is a British poet and novelist who weaves the fantastical and the literary with other vibrant strands to create glowing, multi-faceted writing as found in her nine published books and many globally published short stories, poems and articles.

Originally from London, she now lives in a village in South Cambridgeshire. In between, she read English at Somerville College, Oxford and spent many years working in the British education sector. 

In this evening event for OUSC, J.S.Watts talks candidly about her journey to becoming a published author, with lessons learned and pointers for those who want them (and stories for those who don’t), along with readings from her poetry and novels."

Her books will be available to browse and buy - cash only, please.

The event is open to OUSC members and guests.

Ten Years Old Today!

It's the tenth anniversary of the publication of Witchlight and the beginning of the Witchlight Series. Happy Anniversary, Witchlight!

Something Old, Something New, Something Blue

It's Spring, but it's not wedding bells you hear. It's the arrival of issue 9 of Lit Shark.

Beneath the deep turquoise blue cover of the literary magazine you can find two poems by J.S. : The Flotilla of Lost Words, a poem that has been published before, and How It Begins. How It Finishes, a brand new poem that's breaking surface for the first time now.

The online edition is available to read for free here and you will soon be able to purchase the paperback edition to cherish and keep.

Go on. Dive in.

Ouse Muse - Musing in May

On Tuesday, 6th May J.S. will be the guest poet at Bedford's Ouse Muse. There will also be an Open Mic. So, come along to listen to the poetry, or read a poem, or both.

Ouse Muse begins at 8pm and is held in The Eagle Bookshop, 16-20 St. Peter's Street, Bedford.

A High Window in Spring

And just to prove that reviews are like London buses, although March isn't quite over yet, following hard on the heels (or should that be tyres) of J.S.'s first review of the year, she has another three reviews out in The High Window.

Click here to read J.S.'s thoughts about Still Life by Rebecca Bilkau, Lilith Speaks by Clare Proctor and Subcutaneous by Maria Isakova-Bennett.

First Review of the Year

 

J.S. Watts has reviewed Siegfried Baber's deeply rich poetry pamphlet, The Twice-Turned Earth, for The High Window. You can read the review in the Spring Issue reviews section.

March Metamorphosis

Poetry for the culturally amphibious...

J.S. has a new poem, Deeper Diving, in the beautiful Metamorphosis issue (issue 8, Spring/ Summer 2025) of The Amphibian, due out on 6th March. You can find further details at:    

        https://theamphibianlit.wordpress.com/ 

                       

Ely in March

 J.S. will be reading and performing some of her poetry in Ely on Sunday, 9th March.

Blood Lust in February

It's February and the horror anthology Blood Lust  - "Where passion ignites fear and terror stokes desire" - is out (or will be by 8 February 2025).

Published by Black Hare Press in ebook, paperback and hardcover, it simmers with "spicy horror stories exploring the darker side of human desires, each revealing how closely linked passion and fear can be, creating a captivating mix of heat and dread."

One of those very adult stories is Ornament by J.S. Watts. If you are over 18, you might want to check it out.

Yes, It's 2025, But Here's the Best of 2024!

J.S. is honoured to have her poem "Gull" included in the Lit Shark Best of 2024 Anthology. 

As part of the anthology's stated aim of “Something Old, Something New, Something to Sink Your Teeth Into” the new poem by J.S. included alongside "Gull" is "May".

The anthology is now available as a paperback and hardcover edition.The official announcement and further details of the publication are here. Feel free to check it out. It won't bite.  https://litshark.com/lit-shark-best-2024-anthology

It's 2025!

It's 2025, and to celebrate the New Year J.S. has a new poem, "Yellow, Orange Red",  published on the twelfth day of Ink, Sweat and Tears' annual Twelve Days of Christmas special.

You can read "Yellow, Orange Red" here alongside "Turn, Turn, Turn Again" by KB Ballentine and "This Year" by Terry Dyson.

Happy New Year to you!