Writers Salon: Bohemia Theme – Brought to You from the Colony Room Green, London

Welcome to the first-ever Writers Salon, hosted at the Colony Room Green, an artist-run bar in London. The theme was Bohemia, with tales of 1980s art models, 19th-century stage acts, clubbing in Tenerife, and a famous musician dying in hospital. Thanks to all the amazing writers who participated; our next event will be on November 11th.

Featured Writers:

Kristin Burniston

Kristin Burniston, an MA Screenwriting graduate from University of the Arts London, has had her short film scripts TREE and HAIRY MARY selected by festivals like City of Angels and Best-Script London. Kristin is working on a children’s animation, a crime fiction TV series, and a feature film based on her novel.

Lindsay Gillespie

Lindsay Gillespie, from South Wales, now resides in the South Downs. She has lived in New Delhi, Washington DC, France, and Tokyo, where she taught English. A Costa 2021 Short Story Award finalist, she was also a finalist for the 2022 Bridport Short Story Prize, with stories shortlisted in Fiction Factory, Exeter, and Oxford Flash Fiction. Find her on Twitter @LindsGillesp14.

Darren Coffield

Darren Coffield, an artist and author, studied at Goldsmiths, Camberwell School of Art, and Slade School of Art. His exhibitions have appeared at the Courtauld Institute and National Portrait Gallery. His books include Tales from the Colony Room and Queens of Bohemia, which celebrates the brilliant women of Soho. He shared readings from Queens of Bohemia.

Goran Baba Ali

Goran Baba Ali, a writer and journalist, has published in Kurdish, Dutch, and English. His debut English-language novel The Glass Wall draws from his experience as an ex-refugee from Iraqi Kurdistan. He is the founder of Afsana Press.

Miki Lentin

Miki Lentin completed an MA in Creative Writing at Birkbeck and was a finalist for the 2020 Irish Novel Fair with Winter Sun. His short stories have been published in Litro and Story Radio. He released his short story collection Inner Core in 2022, and his debut novel Winter Sun was published by Afsana Press.

Martin Nathan

Martin Nathan’s short fiction and poetry have appeared in various journals. His novel A Place of Safety is published by Salt Publishing. His dramatic writing has been shortlisted for the Nick Darke Award and the Woodward International Prize.

Tabitha Potts

Tabitha Potts is a short story writer and novelist, recognised with an Honourable Mention in the Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize. Her debut novel will be published by Rowan Prose Publishing in 2026.

Simon Roberts

Simon Roberts, based in West London, writes short stories and flash fiction. His story Dirty Chicken & Rice was a 2024 Plaza Prizes finalist, and his adaptation of The Slaves of Solitude was produced by Questors Theatre in 2024. He was longlisted for the 2022 Fish Short Story Prize.

Photos courtesy of Miki Lentin. Some sexual swearwords are used in these readings so the episode has been marked as Explicit.