BooksGoSocial Conference Magazine
Where Do Stories Come From? By Paul Toolan
If only I received royalties every time a reader asked me this! Here, there or everywhere is the true but unhelpful answer. In A View from Memory Hill, there’s a short story called Old Man, Young Pub that was triggered by seeing… an old man in a young pub! I was at the Brighton Festival [Brighton, England – I used to live there] with old friends/fellow retirees. We dropped into a wonderful, low-ceilinged pub called The Basketmakers, whose decor has barely been touched since it opened. I remember thinking we were the oldest people there, among many young and lively folk, some dressed in the trendiest fashion, some so far ahead they were next year. It was a hot day, but as I looked around I spotted an old gentleman in a tweed jacket and tie, standing at the bar, quietly sipping his beer. All around him, bright young things were loud and full of energy. They squatted on bar stools, but no-one offered a seat to the old guy, and his legs could have used one. I wondered about his silent thoughts.
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