How I Write: Laura Evans
thegloss.ie – Thursday July 9, 2026
Getting into the writing process …
Laura Evans was born in Burnley and grew up in the Midlands in the UK. She completed Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic studies at university before a career as a magazine editor, with a particular interest in travel and nature. A graduate of Curtis Brown Creative’s novel-writing course, she lives with her family in Norwich. Her debut novel, Little Wild (Mantle Debut), a story of class tensions, secrets and first love set in Suffolk in the 1930s, is out now.
My daily writing routine is not as routine as I’d like it to be. When I’m mid-story I could happily do nothing else for days, but like most parents who write I’ve had to adjust, and largely I think that’s a good thing. I write (around other work) when the children are at school; if I’m not too tired, in the evening; sometimes a little on a weekend. There’s a lot to be said for the advice to produce something daily, however small – but if hours are limited I’d prioritise reading every time. Writing isn’t just the act of putting words on the page; reading fuels the thinking, and thinking fuels the work.
My writing spot is currently a box room overlooking our street. Because it’s so small, the furniture has to be slightly miniature: a chaise longue in front of the window even I, at 5’3”, can’t fully lie on; a compact desk. (Facing the wall, because given any distraction I will daydream for hours.) Over the years I’ve written in coffee shops, libraries, on the kitchen table surrounded by children’s art – and sometimes I still do, but it’s such a gift to have the choice.
My favourite part of the writing process isn’t a stage per se, but the almost physical sensation of things clicking into place. Sometimes it’s a detail uncovered in research that perfectly connects two plot points; sometimes it’s just the sense of capturing something human and universal. If I had to boil down why I write to a single reason, that’s what it would be: those tiny moments of ‘yes’.
What Writers and Literary Agents Are Reading This July
insidehook.com – Thursday July 9, 2026
Recent discourse has begged the question: Why aren’t men reading fiction? Are they reading anything at all? In this monthly series, we’re talking to men in literary spaces about the books they think other guys should check out right now. Whether it’s revisiting a classic, getting engrossed in a memoir or devouring something fast-paced and action-packed, there’s bound to be something here for any reader to enjoy.
If you have yet to pick up a book this summer, you are truly missing out on months’ worth of stellar new releases and debuts. Luckily, we have another superb collection of books to read this month — titles that are both old and new — from literary men with curated taste. Feast your eyes on one of these before the end of July.
If you’re looking for some more recommendations, I thought I’d share what books I currently have on hold at my local library. There’s Yesteryear, the Caro Claire Burke debut about a modern-day “tradwife” influencer who goes back in time to the 19th century; The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, an epistolary novel that follows the life of a retired lawyer through sent letters and Theo of Golden by Allen Levi, a bestseller that feels reminiscent of Tuesdays with Morrie.
New Publisher Listing: Vulpine Press
firstwriter.com – Thursday July 9, 2026
Publishes fiction and personal nonfiction distinguished by innovation or exceptional execution, including work that crosses or blends genres.
Entries open for PEN America Literary Awards (US)
www2.fundsforngos.org – Wednesday July 8, 2026
The PEN America Literary Awards recognize outstanding writers, translators, and literary professionals across a wide range of genres, including fiction, poetry, essays, biography, drama, children’s literature, science writing, sports writing, and translation. The program distributes nearly USD 350,000 annually through awards, fellowships, grants, and prizes, with submissions accepted only from eligible publishers or literary agents.
PEN America Literary Awards
The PEN America Literary Awards celebrate exceptional literary achievement by recognizing outstanding books, authors, translators, and literary works published during the current award year. The awards honor excellence across multiple literary genres while supporting creative expression, literary innovation, and diverse voices in literature.
The program is one of the most prestigious literary award initiatives in the United States and provides national recognition alongside financial awards that help promote outstanding literary works.
New Magazine Listing: MQR Online
firstwriter.com – Wednesday July 8, 2026
Online-only companion to a longstanding print journal, publishing book reviews, essays, arts and culture features, and author interviews. Accepts pitches year-round.
Pentabus Opens Applications For 2026 National Young Writers Programme
theqr.co.uk – Tuesday July 7, 2026
Pentabus and Rural Media are looking for their next cohort of young playwrights. Applications have just opened for the 2026 National Young Writers programme. If you are aged between 18 and 30 and want to try your hand at scriptwriting, this free eight-month online course is well worth your attention.
Trading the Stage for the Screen
The QR keeps a close eye on Pentabus. They routinely do the heavy lifting when it comes to bringing high-quality new writing into rural communities. London (and Edinburgh every August) often dominate the theatrical conversation, so companies committed to developing regional talent matter. We thoroughly enjoyed their digital production of The Silence & the Noise. In fact, if you want to see Tom Powell’s Papatango Prize-winning play on stage, a live co-production is running at London’s Park Theatre this winter from 25 November to 12 December.
This 2026 writers’ programme, however, trades physical boards for your phone screen. The brief tasks participants with creating three 90-second micro-plays specifically designed for social media. Writers will film these shorts on mobile phones, with professional actors performing the scripts. The organisers suggest the three pieces could connect via a shared theme, issue, or location.
New Literary Agent Listing: Leah Petrakis
firstwriter.com – Tuesday July 7, 2026
Handles fiction ranging from debuts, literary work, general fiction, mystery, horror, and thrillers, with additional interest in projects blending literary and pop‑culture sensibilities. Works on nonfiction including business, investing, finance, cooking, humor, illustrated art, lifestyle, memoir, narrative nonfiction, pop culture, sports, true crime, and general nonfiction, as well as advice and relationship titles. Also engages with music‑related books, memoirs, and illustrated projects.
How AI is changing language
theguardian.com – Sunday July 5, 2026
As allegations of LLM use rock the literary and media worlds, linguists explain what really distinguishes human and machine writing, while novelists including Jennifer Egan and Jeanette Winterson reflect on the future of fiction in an age of ChatGPT
Three paragraphs, from three different hotel reviews. Can you tell which, if any, were AI‑generated?
“The hotel is in a great location for everything. Lots of places to eat and drink. The hotel itself is always abuzz. The tavern located on the ground floor is definitely a must. Food, service, prices and atmosphere were great.”
“A good hotel, though the room had the proportions of a well-appointed lift. Slept well, shower was excellent, staff were friendly. Breakfast was busy but competent. Would return, though probably not with a very large suitcase.”
“Excellent base for a London trip. The room was quiet, the bed comfortable, and everything worked exactly as it should. Staff were helpful without hovering. A smooth, unfussy stay from start to finish.”
How do you reckon you did? Most people, says Claire Hardaker, a professor of forensic linguistics at the University of Lancaster, get this kind of judgment right only about 60% of the time. Her online test, Bot or Not, asks users to identify the fakes in a series of 15 reviews. The middling success rate might come as a surprise to those convinced they can spot AI writing at 50 paces. When doubts were raised in May about the authenticity of a prizewinning short story by Jamir Nazir, social media users were lightning-quick in their condemnation. “If you know, you know,” commented one. Nazir later told The Atlantic that he didn’t use AI.
Why AI fiction still feels flat: New test shows characters lack mystery and complexity
techxplore.com – Friday July 3, 2026
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have found that while artificial intelligence can spin increasingly convincing stories, its characters may still lack one of the qualities that make human-written fiction memorable: mystery.
As AI writing tools become more common in publishing and entertainment, Carolina researchers wanted to understand whether the characters created by these systems are as varied and nuanced as those crafted by human authors. Their findings suggest that, despite advances in technology, AI still tends to rely on familiar patterns.
The study examined how characters in stories generated by AI compare with those written by people. Drawing on ideas from literary theory, the researchers analyzed eight different aspects of character portrayal, including whether characters seem realistic or exaggerated, whether they evolve over time, and whether they remain mysterious or fully understood by the end of a story.
To do this, the team developed CASPER, an automated framework that evaluated thousands of stories and measured character traits in ways that had never before been systematically applied to AI-generated fiction.
Electric Literature Is Launching Its First-Ever Emerging Writers Contest | $1,000 Prize, Publication, and a Residency | Enter by July 15
brittlepaper.com – Wednesday July 1, 2026
Electric Literature, the nonprofit literary platform that has spent seventeen years dedicated to uplifting emerging writers, has launched its very first Emerging Writers Contest, with categories in fiction and poetry. It is open to international writers, meaning African writers are eligible, and the prize package is one of the more generous on offer from an independent literary platform right now.
One winner in each genre will receive $1,000, publication in either Recommended Reading (fiction) or The Commuter (poetry), and two weeks at the Writing Downtown residency program in Downtown Las Vegas. Second-place winners will receive $250 and third-place winners $100. All fiction finalists will additionally receive a review with feedback from a literary agent. Winners will be announced in early 2027.
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