Mark Piggott
2006 MA alumnus Mark Piggott had the novel he wrote on the course, Fire Horses, published in May 2008.The book, which is published by the independent Legend Press, tells the story of Joe Noone, a degenerate and enthusiastic explorer of the gutter, and his confused relationships with the friends and women in his life. It depicts England over the last 25 years through the eyes and lens of this disturbed wanderer, revealing the country's back streets, small towns and sleazy metropolitan underbelly.
Laced with dark humour and angry political asides, Fire Horses is both an unflinching lesson in modern history and an epic love story. According to its publisher it "...tells of the pain-inducing traps we can set for ourselves in life, and the ways in which we try and escape them."
Mark's own life story is certainly one of extremes - from living on the streets of London in his youth to writing features for the Telegraph, Guardian and Independent. He has also previously had short stories and poems published in several collections, magazines and anthologies, including Down the Angel (Pulp Books, 2006).