All About Sex, the Government Minister, the Dead Boy in the Orphanage and the Cover Up By Tim Roux

When I am not focusing on Hull (and I have recently completed another 'Hull' book, called Missio, about a boy whose father went down with the trawler The Gaul in 1974) I do sometimes engage with the wider world although, to be honest, it isn't up to much.

However, there is one excellent site I contribute to called Speak Without Interruption www.speakwithoutinterruption.com (it's almost as good as thisisUll ) which is an international online magazine where writers from across the world can directly showcase their work, publish articles or comment on others' work without fear of editorial interference or censorship.

The site itself embraces a wide range of contributors' opinions from right wing rants and born again Christian tracts to new spiritualism and the joys of Tantric sex.

Somewhere in the middle of this lot there is a bunch of creative writers who just keep writing creatively. Earlier this year, we got rather bored of all the stuff about Obama the Saint and Obama the Devil, and decided to collect stories and poems for a book. The original topic was My First Sexual Experience to which several writers contributed articles. Over time we broadened the theme to any real life experience or event with some reference to an actual sexual encounter.

The result is ... at last! which comprises some thirty pieces, ranging from the mild; such as Mel Nicolai's early stirrings while playing patient and nurse with a beautiful girl in the school yard and Minnette Coleman's tale of being briefly accosted as a young girl by a middle aged man, to the explicit; such as Steve Gratner's seduction as a fourteen year old boy by his very own attractive and emotionally desperate 'Mrs. Robinson' and my tale of boys lending each other a hand in the dormitories of one of Britain's top private schools. Of all the real life accounts published here, the most shocking is that told in Run, rabbit-run which is the fictional treatment of a true story of a post war British Government Minister who participated in sex hunts (termed 'rabbit hunts') in an orphanage in Wales.

The children would be locked up in the orphanage and an elite party of some twenty rich and influential men would then arrive to hunt them down and sexually abuse them on discovery. On one of these occasions (described in this story) a twelve year old boy was raped six times and subsequently died of his injuries. His body was promptly cut up and disposed of and the scandal was buried. This is a different story from whatever happened in the Jersey orphanage where children's remains were discovered both intact and incinerated last year but the author believes that the two events could have been related, and the account is certainly in keeping with police statements in the course of that investigation.

Contributors to this collection include published authors and poets Minnette Coleman (off-off-Broadway actress, civil rights campaigner and member of the prestigious Harlem Writers' Guild), Robert Ellal (four time cancer survivor and author of By These Things Men Live), Tony Flynn (one of Britain's top poets, a graduate of Hull University, and author of Mermaid's Chair), Prentiss Gray (a journalist whose column is syndicated throughout America), John Joss (author of A Full Accounting and Sierra, Sierra), Mel Nicolai (author of The Case), Paul Perry (author of Buenos Aires Chronicles), Tim Roux (author of The Dance of the Pheasodile and The Blue Food Revolution) and Steve Sangirardi (author of Life On The Planet).

.... at last! has been released immediately as an ebook and will be published in paperback in the spring of 2010. For more information, please go www.nightpublishing.com/id4.html

Articles - Memories of Hull Part 3 By Terry Hood

On 26th January 1955 the nation was stunned by the news of the loss of the Lorella and Roderigo with all 40 crewmen during severe weather off Iceland. This was due to black ice forming on the trawlers. As quick as the crew were chipping it off, it was forming again. My cousin was on another trawler standing by listening to the radio operators on each trawler talking to each other and then he heard one of them say, 'Give our love to our wives, Read more...

Articles - (Belated) End of 2009 By Cilla (Editor).

It's late. This was supposed to be an end of year piece and I guess it's typical of my life recently - there's just never enough time to do everything I want to do - time just passes too quickly. So, it's 2010. Another year bites the dust. The first decade of the 21st century is over with - gone in a flash and here we all are, shivering with cold and sliding off pavements, sitting in queues of smoke billowing traffic. When I was growing up, I took it for granted Read more...

Articles - Christmas With The Big D By Andrea Longstaff

Well, it's that time of the year again; a time of incongruity that spills over into the blurry edges of surrealism. At no other time but December will you see elves strolling down the street. I fondly recall one past Yuletide playing a game of pool with an elf. Throughout the rest of the year we tell our children not to talk to strangers, then come December and they're all scared witless Read more...

Articles - The Political Show Trial the BBC Just Couldn't Resist By Steve Regan, the King of Hull

Shame on the BBC for giving a platform to people prepared to deny the dignity and worth of fellow human beings. Yes, the bullying approach adopted by the Justice Secretary Jack Straw, Tory Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, Liberal-Democrat MP Chris Huhne and the American writer Bonnie Greer on last night's Question Time was an affront to decency. And the BBC top brass should not have allowed the show's usual format to be hijacked and used as a nasty and counter-productive show trial of BNP chairman Nick Griffin. Read more...

Articles - Memories of Hull Part 2 By Terry Hood

After being away from Hull for 40 years it was great to see my home town again and its friendly people. Some places I can remember and have now probably gone are Gainsborough fish and chip restaurant, the Cecil cinema where I went with my wife and my mum to see Emil Ford and the Checkmates, the Tower and Regent cinemas. There was Sydney Scarborough's record shop were the trawler men used to go for the latest records when they came home from sea. Read more...

Articles - Memories of Hull By Terry Hood

I served my apprenticeship as a ships rigger with Lord Line in 1954. Tom Boyd was an absolute gentleman and the best boss I ever worked for. I now live in Cheltenham but I visited Hull in April of this year and saw the true reality of St. Andrews Dock, Lord Line and surrounding area. It brought back such a lot of happy memories and sadness to see it as it is today. Whilst I was in Hull I visited the museum Read more...

Articles - Don Wilson 1916 - 2009.

One of Nidderdale's most fascinating characters has died suddenly aged 93. Donald Wilson moved from Edinburgh to Dacre Banks in February 1950, having been stationed at RAF Linton on Ouse during the war. Don was shot down over Germany early in the conflict and was eventually imprisoned in the infamous Stalag Luft III, setting for the film The Great Escape. He provided invaluable information and advice for the makers of the film, having kept a detailed wartime log during his incarceration. Read more...

Articles - Writing about a Hull singer-songwriter using the music of Joe Solo By Tim Roux.

I have just had a fantastic experience - writing a novel,(Just like) El Cid's Bloomers' about a fictional Hull singer/songwriter around the songs of a real one, Joe Solo. And it could be a global first - the first musical novel to be designed specifically for an e-book format. It doesn't really matter whether it is or isn't, but it is always fun to be the first to do something. For Joe, there were some serious potential downsides to the project. Read more...

Articles - Birth and Death in Ten Minutes: A Miracle in Room 11 By Ruth

'Hello.' 'Doctor, they have an emergency in Room 11.' 'Ok, I'm coming.' I put the phone down and exited the oppressive call room, where as the scheduled 'doc-in-the-box' on duty, I was busy frittering away 24 hours of my life. My 11-year-old-son had state exams the next day, and I hoped my 17-year-old daughter would make sure he studied. I knew they would probably watch TV and eat microwave food on the sofa instead. Read more...

Articles - The Cosmic Mayfly By David Sloan

From deep under the oceans, far from any sunlight, to high up in spewing volcanoes, life forms have been found on our planet. Even deep in the arctic ice, life forms have been found to exist. For life is tenacious, if it can exist it will exist, this is the way of nature. Soon, yes very soon, I'm sure we will find life forms on other planets in our solar system. Indeed I'd be very surprised if the whole universe were not teaming with some form of primeval life or another. Read more...

Articles - You Scare Me By Alex

'You scare me' Having that said to you, just once, is one time too many. Why? Why was this person scared of me? Drunken rage? Membership in the BNP? A predilection for bumming puppies? Nope, none of those (admittedly scary) things. I had done nothing but acquire a label; 'Psychotic'. So what do people understand by that? Usually it's some media inspired portrayal of a reality avoiding, maniac with a large blade. The reality is both fairer and fouler than the common perception. No, psychotics are not automatically or overwhelmingly prone to violence or abuse. Read more...

Articles - Channel 4 Students and Friday Night Stars By Phil Prethero

	2007, The One Stop 24 Hour Shop, High Street, Lincoln It's Saturday, it's 7 in the morning, and I'm at work, hung over, stood here like a trampled on torn up tampon - of use to absolutely nobody. Why the fuck I agreed to these shifts is beyond me, normal people at the age of 21 and in their last year of uni are in bed at this time, they'll get up at about 11, Read more...

Articles - Can You Help? Hull Clubs in the Sixties Keith Fairhurst

I wonder if you can help me. I am searching for the name of a 1965 Hull beat club. The club was at the end of a passageway between two buildings off a one-way street in the centre of the city. It had a small opening/courtyard in front of the main entrance. The passageway was on the right hand side as you travelled down the street. I believe it was called The Black Cat Club or Kontiki Club Read more...

Articles - The Interview: The Four Ps - Plan, Prepare, Participate and Be Positive.By Mike Kemp, CV Satisfaction

	As individuals who are looking to find employment the interview proves to be the most daunting task. But this doesn't have to be the case using the four P's system: Plan, Prepare, Participate and Be Positive. This is a system that was devised by CV Satisfaction which covers all areas of the interview from the beginning to the end. Let's look at each one individually. Read more...

Articles - Apple iPod Touch; The iPhone Without the Phone Reviewed by Mo

Ok so first of all I'm over 50, with a pretty crap social life and like most of my generation, mobile phones reside in a blind spot of my brain. The fiddly keys, address books and ridiculous lose-ablity of the device help to keep it there. Last time I called my (£15 pay as you go from Woolies) mobile in an attempt to find it, it was answered by a lovely police officer lady at the Reading Station's lost and found. Read more...

Articles - Jody McKenna and The Secret Millionaire (show to be aired Sunday 26th April 09 Channel 4) By Michelle Dee

	Champagne Lifestyle on a Lemonade Budget was the title of singer/songwriters Jody McKenna and Dave Saxby latterly of The Peasants debut album /music05/albums/stevepeasants.html . Jody could be forgiven for thinking those dreams of grandeur and prosperity had finally been realised when Channel 4's Secret Millionaire presented him with a cheque for twenty grand. Read more...

Articles - I Got Married By Ruth

I got married (my one and only time) in 1981. It was November and I was a college student in West Texas. My husband to be was five years older than I. He was very rugged/handsome, and a former football player in a land where football is king. In fairness, this tale should be told with a Greek Chorus (you know, those people with white robes that say stuff like, 'Don't eat that, it's poison!' or Read more...

Articles - National Recognition for thisisUll.com - Fringe Report Awards 2009 By Cilla Photographs by Carl Schofield and Mo.

	Monday 9th February 2009 was a landmark date for thisisUll.com and all its contributors. On your behalf, I had the honour of accepting the Fringe Report 2009 award for Best Publication. Fringe Report, under the guidance and leadership of its editor John Park is based in London. It reviews and supports fringe theatre, arts, independent and arthouse film, dance, performance, Read more...

Articles - What The Doctor Did Next By James Marsters

	So, we all know by now that The Eleventh Doctor will be played by none other than household name Matt Smith. Okay, okay, so maybe he's not a household name now but what will the future hold for the 26-year old once he has hung up his sonic screwdriver and given back the keys to the TARDIS? Judging by the other ten actors to have played the Time Lord, it's anyone's guess. Read more...

Articles - If Hull Were Gaza, 3rd January 2009 By Martin Deane

	If Hull were Gaza there would be some 384 casualties of family and friends, with about 64 dead. These are spread across the city killed or wounded by bombs dropped or missiles fired from state-of-the-art F-16 fighter jets. (These jets, by the way, regularly overfly the city at supersonic speeds making a frightening boom through the sound barrier. Read more...

Articles - Dear Diary By Ruth

	Prologue: It is New Years Day 2009. I just left my hospital, the same one I trained in 18 years ago. I've only changed the names of those I like. Everyone else can screw off. November 1990 Dear Diary, I had a lovely weekend on call. Here's a taste of my time as an intern rotating on general surgery. The patient was a 14-year-old Hispanic female. Read more...

Articles - Last of 2008 - The Story of www.thisisUll.com By Cilla Wykes, Editor

Well it's that time of year again; time to look back, forward and then try to get the present into focus. Instead of writing a review of 2008, I'm publishing my personal history of thisisUll.com, telling my story of the 5 years we've been here ... Throughout my life the kitchen table has been a place of immense significance. The hub of what's going on in everybody's life. It's where problems are pondered Read more...

Articles - Confessions of a Webmaster By Mo

	I'm not sure what year it was, somewhere mid winter, I had been dragged in to work as a consultant developer for Smith Barney, to work on a rather hairy problem they could not solve themselves. A reporting problem, to deliver reports on cross currency swaps, derivative products with complex accumulators outside the scope of their existing software Read more...