Hi Matt, We’re very honoured to have you onboard. I’m a big admirer of your writing and your nothing but supportive of other writers. Your contribution is a beautiful piece of writing with an edge of darkness. Exactly what drew me to your style in the first place. With that said, it’s safe to say I know a bit about you, but can you tell us a little more about yourself for our readers?

My name is Matthew McGuirk, Matt to most people. I’m a husband to an amazing wife, father to two awesome girls, high school English teacher in rural New Hampshire and writer. I enjoy a variety of things, but reading and writing are my two biggest past times.

Foodbanks have become a part of our life. What started as a means to support those in financial difficulty has now turned into a long-term lifeline for many. Do you think that we will ever be free of them, or do you believe they will be here to stay?

I think reliance on foodbanks continues to grow because of the state of the world. As cost of living goes up the food bank is more heavily relied on.

As an overseas contributor, what do you make of Britain’s dramatic reliance on foodbanks? How is this different or similar to your own country?

Reliance on foodbanks is dramatic in the US as well. Looking at several resources it’s apparent that the foodbank has become not only a staple for those in financial hardship, but also many middle or lower middle-class families. This is also apparent with the number of students reliant on free and reduced breakfast and lunch programs at school. I think the growing divide of wealth in the country and the rising cost of living since the pandemic have really put many middle-class families in a position to rely on the support of others and foodbanks.

Here at Urban Pigs Press we believe that the indie writing scene is an incredible place of support. From fellow writers to zines and indie presses. Who is your favourite writer in the indie community and why?

Awesome question. I was really drawn to the writing community on Twitter because of the immense diversity and support of other authors. It’s really difficult to peg one or even a few, but I’ll pull a few that I think do many things really well. Cody Sexton as a writer and artist, on top of the website he curates and books he publishes. On top of that, he did the really amazing artwork for my collection with Anxiety Press. Katy Naylor and Arden Hunter are two other authors that work in multiple mediums and genres and do really cool things through their presses and work dealing with that. Cutbow Quarterly and Voidspace provide glimpses into the ways writing can be way more than writing. Those are three that are great writers but do so many other things as well. So many others, but I’d be here all day listing them.

Tell us about your latest work? Do you have any books you would like our readers to know about?

I have a couple longer things in the work currently, but none polished enough to talk much about. I am really excited to get back into longer form fiction though because that was what really led me into writing in the first place.

To the second half of the question, I’m always proud to talk about my two collections. The first is from Alien Buddha Press and is called Daydreams, Obsessions, Realities. The second is from Anxiety Press and is called Oil Stains Like Rorschachs.
https://www.amazon.com/Daydreams-Obsessions-Realities-hybrid-collection/dp/B09M5KY8HH/ref=tmm_pap_sw

How did you first hear about Urban Pigs Press?

I first heard of Urban Pigs Press through James Jenkins and the connection we had before the press sprang up. I’d connected with James through Twitter and I’d blurbed one of his books and he did the same for my last one. Glad to see the press doing some many good things.

Thanks, Matt. These are great answers. I’m not ashamed to admit that I contacted you regarding the anthology as I knew you’d have something that would really resonate with our readers. I wasn’t wrong! I couldn’t agree with you more about Cody, he’s an awesome guy and is very humble for someone with a wealth of talent. He kindly provided us with the inlay artwork too. Blurbing ‘Oil Stains Like Rorschachs’ was a real privilege to me. Like a few of our contributors, it is in line for a review from us at some point. I couldn’t recommend your writing enough to anyone. Thanks again for joining us.

“White Fingers Across New Bulbs” will be available to read in the Hunger anthology from Monday the 11th March.

Matt McGuirk teaches and lives with his family in Vermont. He’s a BOTN 2021 nominee. Both his collection with Alien Buddha Press called Daydreams, Obsessions, Realities and his second collection, Oil Stains Like Rorschachs out with Anxiety Press are available on Amazon. http://linktr.ee/McGuirkMatthew Twitter:

@McguirkMatthewInstagram:

@mcguirk_matthew. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BKMS59Y8

New release date for the HUNGER anthology!

11/03/24

We have slightly delayed the release date for the HUNGER anthology by a few days and have now scheduled it for the 11th March. We always expected a challenge and this beast has certainly been that. We think you’ll agree that it will be worth the wait and we look forward to sharing this fantastic collection with everyone on our new date.

Initial release will be through Amazon and Kindle but we hope to have physical copies in local book shops soon after. One place you can be sure to find this incredible collection will be Dial Lane Books in Ipswich. Andrew has been as much a part of this fantastic cause as all our contributors. We couldn’t be any more excited to share this with everyone. 23 different authors have given up their time and talent to help us make a difference to those in need and we are beyond grateful to each and everyone one of you. Jo Andrews has gone above and beyond to deliver us a cover that represents everything we set out to do. Cody Sexton has also contributed with an incredible piece of talent for our title page. We are both proud and humbled by the incredible efforts of everyone involved. Stephen J. Golds and Rob Jelly (BBC Suffolk) have also given their time to praise this darkly beautiful collection.

As part of our promotion for the anthology we will be posting interviews from the authors involved. Judging by some of the answers given already, I can confirm that we really have discovered a great bunch of humans in this anthology.

This book won’t put an end to poverty or hunger. Neither will it change the agendas of our politicians. But it will make a direct impact to a few of those we hope to represent. And for now, we’ll take it. So, please set that date in your calendar and help us to make that difference.

The Hunger anthology is a collection of 23 stories by 23 different authors. Tales of brutal reality, dark horror, gritty crime and dark humour sprawled out upon each page. Each story delivering a unique take on the prompt HUNGER. A true representation of some of the strongest talents within the writing community.

“A collection of stories that are as close to the bone in literary class as they are in their scathing analysis of a broken society.”

– Stephen J. Golds

Author of Say Goodbye When I’m Gone

“Part social commentary, part linguistic showcase, the authors of Hunger share such thought-provoking stories of a feeling that no-one is alienated from.
Some will leave you angry, some will leave you grateful and some will leave you with questions.
I would say it was a joy to read but more accurately, I am a more rounded-person for reading it.
You’re about to go on a journey. Where to? You will know when you get there.”

– Rob Jelly