Simon Groth
@simongroth.com
Curious writer. ‘Heartwarmingly blunt.’ New book ‘Ephemeral City’ is available now. Stories and ephemera published in a box that can be read in any order you like. simongroth.com
Too may to choose from but I had to toss something a bit parochial into the mix.
December 28, 2025 at 6:38 AM
Too may to choose from but I had to toss something a bit parochial into the mix.
Last chance. Copies of the boxed edition are still available. Pick one up and you won't have to resort to extreme tactics to read the book in whatever order you choose.
December 24, 2025 at 6:25 AM
Last chance. Copies of the boxed edition are still available. Pick one up and you won't have to resort to extreme tactics to read the book in whatever order you choose.
At the bottom of the box, you’ll find a string of random words. Every single copy contains a unique set of five. No repeats. Astute readers of the box may ask: who in the story world compiled all these curiosities and kept them all together? These little word strings provide the answer.
December 23, 2025 at 6:39 AM
At the bottom of the box, you’ll find a string of random words. Every single copy contains a unique set of five. No repeats. Astute readers of the box may ask: who in the story world compiled all these curiosities and kept them all together? These little word strings provide the answer.
Trocadero Dance Topics was a real newsletter published through the 1930s and 40s. The newsletter tells essentially an additional story to the collection, narrated by an unnamed local prude.
December 22, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Trocadero Dance Topics was a real newsletter published through the 1930s and 40s. The newsletter tells essentially an additional story to the collection, narrated by an unnamed local prude.
This page from a poetry anthology has been marked up by a couple of characters from the story Coda. The page contains Yeats’s lesser known poem about Byzantium, shoehorning in a reference to my favourite medieval weirdoes. On the back is part of Wilfred Owen’s poem, ‘Disabled’.
December 20, 2025 at 6:44 AM
This page from a poetry anthology has been marked up by a couple of characters from the story Coda. The page contains Yeats’s lesser known poem about Byzantium, shoehorning in a reference to my favourite medieval weirdoes. On the back is part of Wilfred Owen’s poem, ‘Disabled’.
Well this has been a particularly good book delivery day.
December 19, 2025 at 8:59 AM
Well this has been a particularly good book delivery day.
¡Mira lo que ha llegado! It will take some time to read but first impression is amazing. Thanks for letting me know about it.
December 19, 2025 at 6:52 AM
¡Mira lo que ha llegado! It will take some time to read but first impression is amazing. Thanks for letting me know about it.
If you’re lucky your book may contain this button badge celebrating 1981 as the Year of the Disabled Person. The Braille label stuck over it reads ‘AM’, a hint at the fate of one of book’s characters.
December 19, 2025 at 5:36 AM
If you’re lucky your book may contain this button badge celebrating 1981 as the Year of the Disabled Person. The Braille label stuck over it reads ‘AM’, a hint at the fate of one of book’s characters.
The ticket itself would seem to relate to the story Sixpence, but the name of the ticketholder evokes a character from Blackdrifts. Also worth reading the back all the way through for some unhinged terms and conditions. They were fun to write.
December 18, 2025 at 6:53 AM
The ticket itself would seem to relate to the story Sixpence, but the name of the ticketholder evokes a character from Blackdrifts. Also worth reading the back all the way through for some unhinged terms and conditions. They were fun to write.
This lottery ticket from 1930 is slipped inside an unsent Christmas card from 1972, again linking characters between two stories. The placement is as puzzling as it is deliberate.
December 17, 2025 at 6:48 AM
This lottery ticket from 1930 is slipped inside an unsent Christmas card from 1972, again linking characters between two stories. The placement is as puzzling as it is deliberate.
Me on the morning commute, already thinking about lunch.
December 17, 2025 at 5:26 AM
Me on the morning commute, already thinking about lunch.
Once I had the ad, though I had to figure out what would go on the other side of the page. So I adopted my best patronising mid-century journalist tone to write this partial article that serves as a kind of sequel to the story Sixpence.
December 16, 2025 at 7:46 AM
Once I had the ad, though I had to figure out what would go on the other side of the page. So I adopted my best patronising mid-century journalist tone to write this partial article that serves as a kind of sequel to the story Sixpence.
Julia Favaloro’s exquisite recreation of a Soviet-era poster contains a handwritten message that links characters from two separate stories.
December 14, 2025 at 6:14 AM
Julia Favaloro’s exquisite recreation of a Soviet-era poster contains a handwritten message that links characters from two separate stories.
There’s a booklet for each story plus an extra for all the stuff that would go in the front and backmatter. In what order should you read them? Don’t ask me. The book is yours to construct however you fancy.
December 13, 2025 at 5:07 AM
There’s a booklet for each story plus an extra for all the stuff that would go in the front and backmatter. In what order should you read them? Don’t ask me. The book is yours to construct however you fancy.
Finally got a copy of this. One voice, one guitar, and some great songwriting.
December 12, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Finally got a copy of this. One voice, one guitar, and some great songwriting.
Buenas tardes, gente.
December 12, 2025 at 7:41 AM
Buenas tardes, gente.
Check out those ligatures! We used Doves Type for the text. If you’re unfamiliar, this is a typeface from 1900, reconstructed from metalwork that had been dumped in the River Thames.
December 11, 2025 at 5:23 AM
Check out those ligatures! We used Doves Type for the text. If you’re unfamiliar, this is a typeface from 1900, reconstructed from metalwork that had been dumped in the River Thames.
One last thread to show you what’s inside the box and then I’ll leave you all alone. Each story is printed to its own chapbook. @tinyowlworkshop.bsky.social and I spent far too much time debating the exact paper stock to use. We stand by our choices.
December 10, 2025 at 7:26 AM
One last thread to show you what’s inside the box and then I’ll leave you all alone. Each story is printed to its own chapbook. @tinyowlworkshop.bsky.social and I spent far too much time debating the exact paper stock to use. We stand by our choices.
Little guy wanted to say hello.
December 9, 2025 at 5:54 AM
Little guy wanted to say hello.
One of the key scenes takes place in a small garden area outside the story's palliative care unit setting. The real place the story is based on has been demolished, but fortunately hospital architecture is so generic, I was able to find an image of an almost identical space.
December 7, 2025 at 5:13 AM
One of the key scenes takes place in a small garden area outside the story's palliative care unit setting. The real place the story is based on has been demolished, but fortunately hospital architecture is so generic, I was able to find an image of an almost identical space.
Condolences to the dude who lost his frisbee in my tree that’s in a spot nobody can reach.
December 6, 2025 at 8:38 AM
Condolences to the dude who lost his frisbee in my tree that’s in a spot nobody can reach.
The story that appears last in the bound edition is set in a very specific place at a specific time. It was inspired by a real person I met when I was doing a student placement in palliative care. This person had a major stroke and had acquired what's called 'locked in syndrome'.
December 6, 2025 at 6:58 AM
The story that appears last in the bound edition is set in a very specific place at a specific time. It was inspired by a real person I met when I was doing a student placement in palliative care. This person had a major stroke and had acquired what's called 'locked in syndrome'.
Llego demasiado tarde?
December 5, 2025 at 11:16 AM
Llego demasiado tarde?
Excellent choice, Emily.
December 5, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Excellent choice, Emily.