Joya: AiR / poet / Guy Russell / ENG

‘I was here in late January for just over two weeks. For me, Joya: AIR has been a terrific place to work on long fiction. There’s been nothing to distract me unless I really wanted to be distracted, so that long periods of uninterrupted concentration have been easy to secure. The comfort of the set-up (with my own studio, no less) has made me feel spoilt and valued. The fantastic food and wine more than sorted the trophic side of things. The well-organised and untroublesome covid processes made me feel kept safe. And the kindness, discretion, efficiency and warmth of the dueños has been something only way better writers than me could do justice to. 

What’s more, it’s been for me an inspiring place in its own right: the surrounding mountains, the almond orchards, pine forest and ravine. The bird-song, wild animal prints, land art, olive trees, morning frost and afternoon heat. The moon and stars. The silence. The house itself: simple and sophisticated, warm and cool, uncluttered and relaxing. Not to forget walking the goat, watching the sunset, and admiring the various eco systems (solar and wind power, waste-water treatment, hydraulic engineering, new planting). All these things have generated material that’s crammed my diary while I’ve been here. 

Last but far from least, it’s also been fun, thanks also to the exceptionally nice and interesting people (hello David, Sabina, Glen, Bernadette and Fleur) who were here at the same time as me. How great after a tough day at the typeface to sit round the wood-burner and then the dinner-table talking not just about literature and art but hosts of other stuff. And listening to presentations, playing Bananagrams, and enjoying Simon and Donna’s hilarious tales of everything and everywhere. Who knows if the 20Ks’-worth of dodgy novel that I wrote here will ever see the light of publication day? But it’s 20K under the belt, and produced in the most congenial of circumstances I’ve ever come across’.

Guy Russell

Guy has a Masters degrees in Classics and Creative Writing. Stories in Brace (Comma Press), Madame Morte (Black Shuck), Somewhere This Way (Fiction Desk), No Spider Harmed (Arachne Press), To Hull And Back 2018, Liars League, Prop, Scheherazade, Northern Stories vol.3 (Arc) and elsewhere. Poems in Troubles Swapped For Something Fresh (Salt), The Iron Book of New Humorous Verse (Iron), Poems on the Buses Guernsey (displayed on Guernsey buses), Spirit of Bradford (Redbeck), The Affectionate Punch, Aireings, Blade, Braquemard, Envoi, Fatchance, The Frogmore Papers, Headlock, Helicon, The Interpreter’s House, Iota, Krax, Obsessed by Pipework, Orbis, Other Poetry, Poetry Nottingham, The Projectionist’s Playground, Ramraid Extraordinaire, Red Lamp, The Rialto, Rustic Rub, Scratch, Seam, Smiths Knoll, Staple, The Yellow Crane and elsewhere. Competition 1st prizes: HE Bates Award; Leicester Poetry Society (judged Jackie Kay); Ware Sonnet Prize (judged John Mole); Cannon Poets; Flash500. 2nd prize in Poetry on the Lake Competition, sonnet category (judged Carol Ann Duffy). He reviews poetry for Tears in the Fence, and has done for Stride, Thumbscrew and Poetry Quarterly Review. Journalism in New Statesman (on Irvine Welsh).

A few links:

 https://www.thefictiondesk.com/anthologies/somewhere-this-way.php 

 https://www.christopherfielden.com/short-story-competition/results-2018.php#GuyRussell

 https://tearsinthefence.com/blog/ 

https://www.liarsleague.com/liars_league/2016/04/asking-friends-by-guy-russell.html