Jan Simpson
@daisyofeastegg
Jan is a PA, writer, editor and PhD researcher based in the North-East. For more than two years she compiled reviews with her late husband Tom. Tom adored theatre, comedy and live music and was especially adept at squeezing in as many Fringe shows as possible into three or four days. One of their first dates was to see Little Shop of Horrors in Coventry in 1990, perhaps not the most romantic night out but where it all started anyway.
Reviews: 37
Other Articles: 6
Aberdeen Music Hall Opening Concert
Aberdeen’s beloved civic and cultural centre re-opens with a flourish
Jenni Fagan
There’s a Witch in the Word Machine
Powerful poetry delivers autobiographical slant with brevity and precision.
Basic Connections
Two debut authors leading the short story into thrilling spaces.
Noir Nordique Nordur
The Spiegeltent is treated to an exploration of people, place and language.
Wild and Tender Fiction
Absorbing discussion of myth, discipline and being wild with your writing.
The Dark Side of Us
Penetrating and insightful hour in the company of remarkable talent.
The Restless Sea
Another engaging event under the theme of The Sea Around Us.
The Sea’s Sediments
Activist, journalist and author reframe the romance of the sea with bleak reports of corruption, trafficking and violence.
Mother Sea
Delightful discussion of what poetry can be, what the sea can be and sea blindness.
Granite Noir 2018 launch
Jan Simpson reports back from the launch of Aberdeen’s crime fiction festival.
Lost in Paris (Paris pieds nus)
A nostalgic yet refreshing take on romance in Paris both warms and delights.
His Final Bow
Tale of Lincoln’s assassin John Wilkes Booth shows the danger posed by hatred, ambition and vanity.
The Play That Goes Wrong
Aberdeen welcomes the best comedy play seen on stage for a generation.
Uncles
Burnistoun pair Robert Florence and Iain Connell bring famous Glaswegian banter north
The Crucible
Thrilling new production of Miller’s allegorical tale full of lessons for these strange times
Curtis Stigers
A top-class singer and a flawless Big Band combine to create magic at HMT.
Does Evil Exist?
Granite Noir session gives an enthusiastic prodding to a fundamental question
Dark Doric Workshop
Jan Simpson dabbles in Doric at an excellent creative writing workshop at Granite Noir.
The Customs of the Country: Gordon J Brown & Quentin Bates
Authors discuss how setting can offer contrasts in landscape and societal texture