E. Mark Windle 18 November 2023. The history of the conflict between Israel and Hamas is a complex and protracted one. As the latest escalation continues with airstrikes and ground invasions in Gaza, various political parties, the public and media across the globe debate the definition of Israel’s right to defend itself and the questionableContinue reading “Gaza and the Innocent Casualties of War: From Food Insecurity to Man-Made Famine.”
Category Archives: Commentary
Holding on to the Past. The Challenge of Preserving and Accessing Soul Music History in the Written Word
E. Mark Windle 10 November 2023 It’s been a good while since the rare soul scene was an insular subculture confined to the wilds of northern England. The word spread decades ago, with self-sufficient parallel or related scenes now well established throughout Europe, Japan, the USA and elsewhere. Other than the pull of the musicContinue reading “Holding on to the Past. The Challenge of Preserving and Accessing Soul Music History in the Written Word”
Physical to Digital to Dust. The Future of Books in Our Hands
E. Mark Windle 30 August 2023. Almost twenty years ago, a book revolution was on the horizon. The advent of Sony e-reading devices in 2006 and the more commercially impactful Amazon Kindle the following year provided a new option for accessing literature. For the consumer, the convenience of having your new or favourite reads deliveredContinue reading “Physical to Digital to Dust. The Future of Books in Our Hands”
The Signs.
E. Mark Windle 26 August 2023. While undertaking some book research a few years ago on Nashville’s soul music scene, I was drawn to a very competent cover of Barbara Lewis’ iconic 1963 recording “Hello Stranger”. The version in question was by Alpha Zoe (Hall), an African American teenager who had just been plucked fromContinue reading “The Signs.”
Redressing the History Books: The Soul of Music City.
By E. Mark Windle, 20 August 2023. Regarding what’s been pretty much an obsession with writing about southern soul music since I started out over ten years ago, House of Broken Hearts: The Soul of 1960s Nashville was undertaken in an attempt to resolve one nagging omission. A fair chunk of my travels has beenContinue reading “Redressing the History Books: The Soul of Music City.”
Physical to Digital to Dust. The Future of Books in Our Hands
E. Mark Windle 8 August 2023 Almost twenty years ago, a book revolution was on the horizon. The advent of Sony e-reading devices in 2006 and the more commercially impactful Amazon Kindle the following year provided a new option for accessing literature. For the consumer, the convenience of having your new or favourite reads deliveredContinue reading “Physical to Digital to Dust. The Future of Books in Our Hands”
Smoke and Mirrors? Ghostwriters, Misunderstood.
E. Mark Windle 18 July 2023 They’ve been around for thousands of years, quite literally. Scribes were used without accreditation to capture oral histories and folklore from their communities and reproduce them in the written form, to copy and embellish existing religious texts, or to take on tasks of ancient senate office. Over subsequent centuries,Continue reading “Smoke and Mirrors? Ghostwriters, Misunderstood.”
Good Fit or Conflict? Client-Ghostwriter Matching in Biography Writing, and When the Relationship Goes Wrong
E. Mark Windle 4 May 2023. It goes without saying that compatibility between ghostwriter and client is a key factor in facilitating the production of a high quality biography. The writer’s remit is to relate a life story that is authentic, believable, and engaging, and reflective of a world according to their client’s perspective. InContinue reading “Good Fit or Conflict? Client-Ghostwriter Matching in Biography Writing, and When the Relationship Goes Wrong”
Moral Code, or F**k it? Hancock, the Lockdown Files and the Art of Breaching Non-Disclosure Agreements
E. Mark Windle 4 March 2023 Right, let’s get this straight. The creation and implementation of a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is to guard privileged trade or personal information. As such, it is one way of interpreting the UK’s Data Protection Act, which gives individuals and organisations the right to privacy, and control over how divulgedContinue reading “Moral Code, or F**k it? Hancock, the Lockdown Files and the Art of Breaching Non-Disclosure Agreements”
North Broad Street Records: Lovemasters “If You See Kate” / “Let’s Stay Together”
E. Mark Windle 2nd September 2022. As North Broad Street Records goes from strength to strength, September sees the arrival of the seventh vinyl release in their series of quality previously unissued soul recordings. NBS 007 takes us to the Windy City for two fine tracks by the group who previously gave us a northernContinue reading “North Broad Street Records: Lovemasters “If You See Kate” / “Let’s Stay Together”“