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David
Hartley

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Sprites of Svenshögen
~ a residency zine ~

"He thinks, as he often does, of the concrete dome over reactor four at Chernobyl, the place that exploded just as he was born. He thinks of the cavern beneath that sarcophagus, unearthly lit. He thinks about how much writing he’d get done in there, supercharged and disembodied."
 

A brief and beautiful sojourn through a Swedish village in the company of fae creatures made of leaves, rubble, and bottle tops.
 

A semi-fictional account of a creative residency in an old train station, nestled in the edgelands, by a lake, a forest, and a malevolent wind turbine.
 

A charitable pamphlet of photography and oddities in aid of Médecins Sans Frontières. Limited number of copies - once they're gone, they're gone.

About

Writer, Performer, Artist, Editor, Tutor

I write strange stories about strange things for strange people. I am preoccupied by animals, neurodiversity, folklore, and untapped possibilities of storytelling forms. I've performed my work within bus stations, ancient libraries, decaying edgelands, a Swedish train station, and among a forest of tattooed bodies. I have collaborated with spectral musicians, Estonian performance artists, and a plant orchestra. I'm always interested in creative partnerships. Get in touch with me below.​

 ~ PhD Creative Writing, University of Manchester 

 ~ Fauna (Fly on the Wall Press) - short story collection

~ Incorcisms (Arachne Press) - short(er) story collection

~ Writer-in-Residence: Tartu, Estonia, 2024: 'The Forest of Ink & Skin

~ Lead artist: 'The Embassy of Utopia', Festival of Libraries 2024 & 2025 

~ Workshop Tutor for 'Beyond the Spectrum' with Writing East Midlands 

~ Editor: Obscura: New Uncanny Tales (Comma Press) 

~ Lecturer in Creative Writing, The University of Manchester

Picture: Nic Chapman

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Stories

Sample Stories

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Contact
Contact

I'll get back to you soon, I promise!

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