Good news often comes shackled to bad news. I’m delighted that my story ‘The Workers’ Guide To The World’ is included in the latest issue of Outside In Magazine, unfortunately it’s also the last issue. I hope the two aren’t connected. Outside In is a magazine of literature and travel, featuring fiction, non-fiction and poetry. There are eighteen issues archived online and I heartily recommend checking them out.
My story is another odd one. A few years back I went backpacking around China with a friend and some of the scenes in the story are adapted from real events. Rather than write a straight travel account or an ‘I-novel’-esque story however, I had the idea of wrapping the experiences in a specific and unusual viewpoint – that of someone ideologically blinkered and desperate not to see what he doesn’t want to see. The Workers’ Guide To The World – a guidebook for travellers on the Far Left was born. I’ve had a bit of trouble with the story over the years which is why I was more than usually pleased when Outside In took it. I encountered not a few editors who either didn’t get that the story was fiction or confused the ‘I’ of the story with the ‘I’ of me. The irony of the story landed on many desks with a dull thunk.
In other news, Not The Booker has moved into its final stage – an open public vote. First Time Solo is still in with a chance so if you find yourself with a spare couple of minutes please head over to the Guardian, go to the comments sections and write ‘Vote: Iain Maloney – First Time Solo’ and about 50 words saying why. Voting closes October 12th.
Iain Maloney 