Person: Karl Whitney

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

<p>The wheelie bins are full of wrapping paper and empty bottles; the decorations are ready to be returned to their cardboard boxes for another 11 months. However, good books are for life, not just for Christmas. Picture: iStock</p>

culture

Karl Whitney: Don’t let the spoils of the old year ruin the lure of the new

End-of-year lists can flatten culture into sameness; real taste is built by curiosity, scepticism, and a willingness to stray off the well-worn path

<p>The great comic actor Jack Lemmon’s gravestone reads: ‘Jack Lemmon in’; there's nothing like a gravestone to limit the word count. Picture: Barry King/WireImage</p>

culture

Karl Whitney: Is it better to let ideas fumble on the long route or set them in stone?

<p>Karl Whitney: ‘When I do retune the radio it’s often to go from one local station to another. There’s a significant amount of pleasant, banal chatter on them.’</p>

culture

Karl Whitney: Don’t touch that dial: Talking about books on the radio

UK. Gillian Anderson in (C)Black Bear film: The Salt Path (2024).
Plot: A couple lose their home and later discover the husband

culture

Karl Whitney: On true stories: If reality is a show, then we want our narrator to win

culture

Karl Whitney: Why you should sketch your cats before attempting to paint tigers

culture

Karl Whitney: When the journey of a writer hits a wall, it’s the perfect time to reflect

Karl Whitney: Opening a world to books that beg to be unearthed

When I read about people ‘discovering’ and republishing ‘lost classics’, I often think: Well, they were in print once

Fri, 09 May, 2025

Vacant pub in Swinton 'The Football' with boarded windows on a quiet street.

Karl Whitney: Hitting ‘no changes’ when, in truth, almost everything has changed

Reviewing work can be a window into another moment in time, in our lives, and an opportunity to examine how old words can take on new meaning

Fri, 18 Apr, 2025

Karl Whitney: In the gold rush of writing, choose your shovel wisely

People are always interested in learning about the craft of writing. Karl Whitney recommends some books on that very subject.

Fri, 22 Nov, 2024

Karl Whitney: Are my lunchtime walks to the shop part of the writing process?

Finding the balance of being productive and obtaining inspiration can be a tricky one for a writer

Fri, 30 Aug, 2024

Karl Whitney: Can we trust the voices placed in our heads by the author?

Voice, in literary terms, is a hazy concept; it implies that the reader perceives a human presence behind the book, one that warms up the cold words on the page

Fri, 28 Jun, 2024

Sounds of the City: The musical output of individual UK cities

From Liverpool’s beat-pop to Bristol’s trip-hop, Irish writer Karl Whitney explains the distinctive musical output of individual cities in the UK, writes Marjorie Brennan.

Sun, 18 Aug, 2019

Person: Karl Whitney

Karl Whitney: Don’t let the spoils of the old year ruin the lure of the new

Karl Whitney: Is it better to let ideas fumble on the long route or set them in stone?

Karl Whitney: Don’t touch that dial: Talking about books on the radio

Karl Whitney: On true stories: If reality is a show, then we want our narrator to win

Karl Whitney: Why you should sketch your cats before attempting to paint tigers

Karl Whitney: When the journey of a writer hits a wall, it’s the perfect time to reflect

Karl Whitney: Opening a world to books that beg to be unearthed

Karl Whitney: Hitting ‘no changes’ when, in truth, almost everything has changed

Karl Whitney: In the gold rush of writing, choose your shovel wisely

Karl Whitney: Are my lunchtime walks to the shop part of the writing process?

Karl Whitney: Can we trust the voices placed in our heads by the author?

Sounds of the City: The musical output of individual UK cities

Latest

Mick Clifford

Person: Karl Whitney

Karl Whitney: Don’t let the spoils of the old year ruin the lure of the new

Karl Whitney: Is it better to let ideas fumble on the long route or set them in stone?

Karl Whitney: Don’t touch that dial: Talking about books on the radio

Karl Whitney: On true stories: If reality is a show, then we want our narrator to win

Karl Whitney: Why you should sketch your cats before attempting to paint tigers

Karl Whitney: When the journey of a writer hits a wall, it’s the perfect time to reflect

Karl Whitney: Opening a world to books that beg to be unearthed

Karl Whitney: Hitting ‘no changes’ when, in truth, almost everything has changed

Karl Whitney: In the gold rush of writing, choose your shovel wisely

Karl Whitney: Are my lunchtime walks to the shop part of the writing process?

Karl Whitney: Can we trust the voices placed in our heads by the author?

Sounds of the City: The musical output of individual UK cities

Latest

Mick Clifford

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