Joanna Pocock
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joannapocock.bsky.social
Joanna Pocock
@joannapocock.bsky.social
• Author of SURRENDER (Fitzcarraldo Editions, 2018) & GREYHOUND (Fitzcarraldo Editions & Soft Skull Press, 2025).
• Words in Guardian, Spectator, New Statesman, TLS, The Nation, etc...
• Creative Writing tutor at the University of the Arts, London.
Pinned
I am so grateful to the judges and the wonderful people at @fitzcarraldoeds.bsky.social for backing this grungy road trip of a book.
GREYHOUND has found itself among some brilliant company and I am truly over the moon.
Thrilled that GREYHOUND by @joannapocock.bsky.social has been shortlisted for the Sherborne Travel Writing Prize: www.sherbornetravelwritingprize.com
Reposted by Joanna Pocock
💕I’m doing a bit of a Valentine’s Giveaway over on my Instagram.

A chance to win a copy of this wonderful book by Madeleine Dunnigan’s @dauntbookspub.bsky.social

And a chance to win a free month’s subscription to the Rippling Pages Patreon

Come enter here!

www.instagram.com/p/DUvQ09njHR...
February 14, 2026 at 12:48 PM
Reposted by Joanna Pocock
This absolute gem, by @joannapocock.bsky.social
February 14, 2026 at 3:15 AM
🙏🙏🙏
February 14, 2026 at 9:14 AM
2014. The view from my bedroom in Missoula. This photo just popped up on my phone, the way these things do. This is where ‘Surrender’ began … So many feelings when I think back to this rich, fertile time & that beautiful town.

#missoula #montana #surrender #writing #life
February 13, 2026 at 8:11 PM
I mean, talk about the perfect last line of any book... sigh.
February 13, 2026 at 7:45 PM
It's just so very, very good on so many levels. I can see why you have been revisiting it.
February 13, 2026 at 6:53 PM
Her focus is more on what it was like being a woman among the Beats. She puts the whole movement into a larger context of art and politics and desire than simply focusing on the 'big 3'. And she writes so beautifully.
February 13, 2026 at 6:53 PM
… and place in art and culture so vividly and her thoughts about writing are really quite profound. (See the quote about the unfinished). I highly recommend this one. I was so sad when I came to the end… (2)

#joycejohnson #minorcharacters #memoir #thebeats #jackkerouac #womenwriters
February 13, 2026 at 3:38 PM
I think this might be one of the most perfect memoirs to have ever found its way into print. Joyce Johnson’ MINOR CHARACTERS has been on my radar for years, but it was Amanda Fortini’s introduction to Jan Kerouac’s BABY DRIVER that got me reaching for it. Johnson brings to life a time (1)
February 13, 2026 at 3:37 PM
Thank you! Where would we be without music, especially when we hit the road (metaphorically and otherwise)…
February 12, 2026 at 4:28 PM
I just read your beautiful, beautiful love letter/essay about Linda and love and longing and so much else. I was really moved by it.
February 12, 2026 at 3:32 PM
Oops: ‘Things Become Other Things’ (I should never type before coffee…)
February 12, 2026 at 11:58 AM
As @dirtmeetsthewater.bsky.social says, why not head down the camino via Greyhound…

#nonfiction #memoir #travel #criticism #greyhound #psychogeography
If you're interested in books that explore "the overlap between place and memory" and how we are shaped by the psychogeography of countries that aren't 'ours' then this will be right up your camino.
300 characters are not enough for any kind of book review, but it is enough to say that Greyhound by @joannapocock.bsky.social is a really special kind of memoir and you should buy it!
uk.bookshop.org/p/books/grey...
February 12, 2026 at 11:57 AM
Reposted by Joanna Pocock
I read Greyhound after finishing @craigmod.com 's wonderful walking memoir 'Things Become Other Things' and they work perfectly as a kind of pair. There needs to be a good word for people like us who find themselves through journeys and lives in 'foreign' countries.

uk.bookshop.org/p/books/thin...
Things Become Other Things: A Walking Memoir
A Walking Memoir
uk.bookshop.org
February 12, 2026 at 6:59 AM
Reposted by Joanna Pocock
300 characters are not enough for any kind of book review, but it is enough to say that Greyhound by @joannapocock.bsky.social is a really special kind of memoir and you should buy it!
uk.bookshop.org/p/books/grey...
February 11, 2026 at 10:51 PM
Thank you so much, Tim. 🙏 I will now seek out 'Things Become Other' on your recommendation!
February 12, 2026 at 10:36 AM
This weekend I came across a camera called the “GREYHOUND”. They were made up the road from me in Walthamstow in the 1930s. It’s like my latest book has solidified into a physical object…

#greyhound #cameras #walthamstow #synchronicity
February 11, 2026 at 6:14 PM
The recent layoffs at The Washington Post have left many talented journalists without jobs. This is a tough time for them, and they need our support. Please consider donating or sharing this fundraiser to help those affected. Every contribution counts in these challenging times.

gofund.me/3ed367cd2
February 10, 2026 at 9:40 PM
Spotted on Leyton High Road. The perfect example of the British way with understatement, reserve and nuance. (Read the small print …)

#nuance #britishunderstatement #reserve #leyton #edwardmeatyard #butcher #blueplaque
February 10, 2026 at 4:21 PM
This is so devastating to authors, small publishers and readers as well as all the editors and reviewers affected. So incredibly upsetting among so much else that is deeply upsetting.
February 4, 2026 at 4:02 PM
I second this!
February 4, 2026 at 4:00 PM
This! This thread! As an author, it hits hard.
February 4, 2026 at 3:51 PM
Feel free to get in touch if you want more information. Pictured are some of the books we often dip into during this course. Do visit the University of the Arts website for more details. (2)
arts.ac.uk/subjects/jou...

#memoir #lifewriting #creativewriting #teachingwriting
Life and Memoir Writing Short Course
Explore the art of non-fiction Life Writing. Gain an insight into various genres and approaches through craft talks, in-class exercises, weekly assignments and workshops.
arts.ac.uk
February 2, 2026 at 5:47 PM
It turns out there are some places left on my Memoir & Life Writing short course at the University of the Arts starting February 16. The course runs for 5 weeks and is being held ONLINE from 18:00-20:30 (London time) every Monday so you can tune in from anywhere in the world. (1)
February 2, 2026 at 5:47 PM
It is a parable, a chant, a meditation on oppression at a granular level. It is extraordinary. Out in April with @fitzcarraldoeds.bsky.social
(It will be in a blue cover, but this is an advance review copy which is why it’s white.) (2)

#fiction #fitzcarraldo #eventhorizon
February 2, 2026 at 9:44 AM