Mai Black
I am very pleased to introduce August's showcased writer, Mai Black, the Supreme Being of Suffolk Writers' Group. Mae's energy knows no bounds - she writes poems, novels, plays, runs writing groups, acts, organises events, maintains a social media presence, etc etc etc. She is an inspiration to all who know her.
Biography
Mai Black is a prize-winning author of poems and short stories. Thirty Angry Ghosts, a collection of poetic monologues featuring famous figures from history. Her debut novel, The Women Who Saved Shakespeare, set in 1730s Georgian London and based on a true story of The Shakespeare Ladies Club, the capital’s first literary club for women, will be published in early 2026. To accompany the launch, Mai will be hosting several Shakespeare Ladies tea parties in beautiful, historical locations across the United Kingdom, and perhaps beyond.
Mai studied English and American
Literature at Kent University then worked as an office cleaner, a book restorer
(after the Norwich Library fire), a secretary, and briefly as a pensions
administrator at Norwich Union, before beginning teacher training in 2000. Whilst
working as a primary teacher, she wrote a variety of plays, stories and songs
to support her teaching practice. She was also a regular contributor to CGPs
range of educational publications, specialising in Literacy and History.
As she grew up reading her mum’s
copies of Best Magazine, she was delighted to have her first short story
accepted by them. She has since been published in The Sunday Telegraph,
Let’s Talk, The Fens and Suffolk Magazine and been featured in several short
story and poetry anthologies. She won the Norwich Circle Short Story
Competition, the Just Back Competition for travel writing, the People Not
Borders Poetry Competition, and The Eyrie Press Short Story Competition. She was
twice runner up in The Felixstowe Short Story Competition and longlisted for
the Yeovil Novel Prize.
A selection of magazines
featuring Mai’s work
In 2014, Mai founded Suffolk
Writers Group and over the last ten years has led approximately four hundred
creative writing meetups, open mics, courses and workshops. She also runs the
popular Facebook group of the same name which offers members a variety of daily
creative challenges as well as being an opportunity to share and discuss
anything related to writing and reading. Currently the group has 2600
members.
Leading a Creative
Writing Workshop at The Two Sisters Arts Centre near Felixstowe
Speaking about publishing options at Felixstowe Book Festival
In 2022, Mai published her first
poetry collection, Thirty Angry Ghosts, which features monologues in the
voice of thirty famous figures from history. These include Boudicca, still
furious at the Romans who stole her land; Julius Caesar, still shocked by the
violent betrayal by his friends; and Queen Victoria, who bitterly laments the
breakup of the British Empire and invites her audience to think about what
their own legacy might be.
Thirty
Angry Ghosts is available to purchase online
and at a
variety of independent bookshops
Together with a variety of
talented actors, Mai has performed poems from Thirty Angry Ghosts for a
range of community groups including schools, libraries and Women’s Institute
meetings. She has also been featured many times on BBC Radio Suffolk and
performed at literary festivals across Suffolk.
A Performance of ‘Thirty Angry Ghosts’ for Chelmondiston Women’s Institute featuring [left to right] Laura Locke as Marie Antoinette, Simon Black as Abraham Lincoln, David Miller as Beethoven, Richard Spencer as The Unknown Soldier, Alison Miller as Wu Zetian, Mai Black as Boudicca, Steve Roche as William Shakespeare and Ally Riley (front and centre) as Queen Victoria
In 2024, Mai joined forces with
fellow Suffolk Writer’s Group member Jane Spencer-Rolfe to launch the Wild
Words Suffolk project to encourage wellbeing, free-writing and creative
expression out in the community. You can visit Wild Words Suffolk on Facebook,
Instagram and YouTube to find out more about the project and see some of the
work produced.
Mai and Jane Spencer-Rolfe leading a ‘Wild
Words Suffolk’ meet-up at The Bank in Eye
As mentioned earlier, Mai has recently found a publisher for her debut historical novel, The Shakespeare Ladies. To honour the original 18th century club members and relaunch the Shakespeare Ladies Club for the 21st century, Mai is planning to host a succession of Shakespeare Ladies tea parties in beautiful and historical settings around Britain. These will hopefully include The Food Museum in her home county of Suffolk and London’s Drury Lane Theatre.
She is also inviting women to talk about their personal experience of Shakespeare via @shakespeareladies on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. To find out more about Mai, her Shakespeare tea parties and her forthcoming novel, visit maiblackauthor.com. (Mai’s website is currently under construction but should be up and running by mid-September 2025).
Links:
The Amazon link to Thirty Angry Ghosts::
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thirty-Angry-Ghosts-Poems-Black/dp/199978328X
Find out more about The Shakespeare Ladies by visiting @shakespeareladies on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. Mae will hopefully soon be doing related talks, workshops, book signings and Shakespeare Ladies tea parties in Suffolk, Stratford and London. For details, email her at suffolkwritersgroup@gmail.com or message her on social media.
Facebook: @maiblackwriter
Instagram: @maiblackwriter and @shakespeareladies
TikTok: @shakespeareladies
Email: suffolkwritersgroup@gmail.com
Website: suffolkwritersgroup.com
Mai with Andrew Marsh, owner of Dial Lane Books in Ipswich, December
2021
"The following three poems are from my poetry collection Thirty Angry Ghosts which is widely available online and on request from most bookshops." - Mai
William Shakespeare
You idle-headed clotpoles,
you beslubbering baggages,
you mewling malt-worms.
Is it my fault you don’t get it,
you jolt-headed maggots?
I wasn’t writing it for you.
I am not the one who troubles
your rump-fed brains.
Direct your wrath more justly.
Still I hear whispers
from the back of the classroom,
from the theatre auditorium,
from the upmarket cinema:
Why didn’t he use proper English?
Why is he so boring?
Why is he so dull?
Day and night,
your two loutish thumbs
jab out such beetle-headed bragging,
such dog-hearted lies.
You say you’re on fleek,
you slay it,
you shade me.
But you’re too nauseating to be sick,
you’re wet
and you’re thirsty.
I am Shakespeare.
I am The Bard.
I’m fire, I’m flaming,
I’m peng with a quill pen,
no cap.
That’s rap.
Was any man more abused than I?
Six wives I had,
six
tormentors,
cruel
as only women can be.
The
first was Catherine,
much
beloved was she
but
time exposed her deficiency,
birthing
only a girl
and
a host of other half-made things.
And
when honour demanded it,
when
her king demanded it,
she
would not let me go
but
gripped with bone-thin fingers,
dug
her nails in deep
so
when at last I struggled free,
she
had her pound of flesh.
Leaving
me vulnerable.
Leaving
England vulnerable.
And
so I succumbed
to
the charms of a witch
who
wooed as only a man should
and
soon betrayed me,
leaving
one more girl child
to
mock the royal cradle.
My
best hope then.
Jane
gave as much love
as
women are able to give
and
a son besides
but
more on that anon.
A
princess next
but
what is a princess
without
beauty?
Fine
jewels around
the
neck of an ugly girl
gleam
like flies
upon
excrement.
Another
Catherine,
wicked
faithless strumpet,
broke
my royal heart.
And
at the end, no loving wife
but
a nurse only,
a
woman who dreamed of another man
while
she still had a king in her bed.
But
I had my son, my heir.
England
was safe.
I
had done my part.
Yet,
without his father’s governance,
left
to the care of wicked women
and
greedy ministers,
he
made not sixteen summers.
So,
what happened to England’s mighty throne?
Taken
by women,
stolen
by women,
illegitimate
women,
despised
by God.
And
now there is no part of this noble country
unplundered
by the ambitions of women:
the
universities, the government
even
the Church.
I
blame myself for men’s misfortune,
this
plague of womankind.
For
now men must crawl upon their stomachs
before
these wanton witches,
these
venomous vixens,
these
matriarchal monsters.
Oh,
the pity of mankind.
I
pray God grant us sufficient
swords
and axes for them all.
Anne
Boleyn
Green was never my
colour.
Red – the colour of my
dress that day.
Red – the dying light in
the sky.
Red – the blood at the
birth of my children.
Red – the sword so
quickly brought down.
Henry
– most famous king of England,
how proud you would be of that.
But
famous for what?
For being fat and gaudy,
a jester too clownish to be cruel.
I’d rather be a witch
than a fool.
And what came after, dear
husband of mine?
Your son died too young
and soon was forgotten.
Our daughter, my
daughter,
she’s
the one who survived
and ruled far better,
far longer than you.
Greensleeves
– an idle song for an idle man.
Here
is Elizabeth, my child.
Red hair still blazing.
And finally we come to The Big
Interview, in which Mai kindly
answers writing-related
questions and lets us into
some of her writing secrets...
1. How old were you when you first knew you wanted to be a writer, and what set you off down that journey?
When I was around seven years old, my mum made a family
poetry collection called ‘From Little Acorns’. Having the whole family involved
in writing and creating together really fired me up to want to be a writer.
It took another thirty-five years before I’d written my own poetry
collection but that was always my ambition.
2. Tell us about the books and writers that have shaped your life and your writing career.
My favourite book is Lord of the Silver Bow by
David Gemmell. It is packed full of loveable, believable, highly flawed characters.
I think that Gemmell, more than any other writer, has the talent to make a
deep, lasting connection between the people in his books and his readers. If
you like historical novels with fantastical elements, definitely give his Troy
trilogy a try.
3. What do you enjoy writing?
Poetry was my first love for the utter freedom it
offers the writer. Length, form, punctuation rules and layout conventions are
whatever the poet makes of them. From poetry, I moved to songwriting during my
late teens and early twenties. Then I had a decade of mostly writing short
stories and flash fiction. Most recently I have been writing and researching
historical fiction. Due to this, I spend most of my time imagining I live in 1730s London,
which makes me feel a bit like an eccentric lady time-traveler in that I
probably know more about Robert Walpole than our current prime minister. Also,
any buildings, writing or artwork from Victorian times onwards seem
ridiculously modern.
4. Are there certain themes that draw you to them when you are writing?
I like to write about the longing for connectedness
between human beings, and how books and creativity help to unite us down the
centuries and throughout the world. For me, the worldwide love and respect for Shakespeare
is the prime example of that, which is why I chose the Shakespeare Ladies Club
as the focus for my novel.
5. Tell us about how you approach your writing. Are you a planner or a pantser?
Definitely a planner. I had practically all my
chapters planned out in rough before I began writing the novel. Previously, I’ve
tried writing novels more organically but tended to fizzle out after about
30,000 words.
6. Do you have any advice for someone who might be thinking about starting to write creatively?
Read a lot and join a friendly, supportive creative
writing group. I can highly recommend joining Suffolk Writers Group on Facebook
which will give you daily inspiration and encouragement from your fellow
writers.
Five ‘Angry Ghosts’ together with members from Chelmondiston Women’s Institute after an evening of history and poetry in Summer 2023, featuring [Left to right]: non-performing member of Chelmondiston Women's Institute, Vivia Bamford playing Marie Curie [back], non-performing member of Chelmondiston Women's Institute, Alison Miller playing Wu Zetian, Ally Riley as Queen Victoria, Cat Weldon as Cleopatra and Gregory Delve as Genghis Khan.
7. Have you ever studied creative writing at university or any other courses?
I did a degree in English Literature which gave me a great grounding in
different types of stories and poetry. I’ve also taught and have taken a range
of creative writing courses. I’ve learned a lot although I think it’s important
to take all advice with a pinch of salt. Nothing puts me off more quickly than
people who say you must do such and such to be a great writer. My rebel brain
immediately yearns to do just the opposite of what they advise.
8. Where do you get your ideas from?
Recently most of my ideas have come from challenges on Suffolk Writers
Group. I also take a great deal of inspiration from learning about famous
figures from history. For that, I am very grateful to Terry Deary for his Horrible
Histories series which was largely responsible for my Thirty Angry
Ghosts collection.
9. Beyond your family and your writing, what other things do you do?
Most of my activities are connected with writing. For
example, I am a member of a Shakespeare discussion group and spend time reading
and exploring a different play each month. I am also an active member of
Suffolk Poetry Society. Other than that, I enjoy jigsaws, watching television, walks
in nature, and talking to cats.
Seven Angry Ghosts after a 2023 performance at
Framlingham Library. Featuring, from left to right: Vivia Bamford as Marie
Curie, Rachel Brown as Joan of Arc, Alison Miller as Wu Zetian, David Miller as
Beethoven, Simon Black as Abraham Lincoln, Mai Black as Neanderthal Woman, and Louis
Parperis as Adolf Frederick
10. What are your plans and ambitions for the future?
I’m very much looking forward to the launch of my Shakespeare Ladies novel
in May 2026 and also hosting the various Shakespeare Ladies tea parties which
will accompany it. Last year I visited The Theatre Royal in London, Drury Lane
and was absolutely blown away by its eighteenth-century splendour. The theatre
already holds regular afternoon tea parties and I hope to persuade them to let
me organise one in celebration of The Shakespeare Ladies. It would, after all,
be the perfect setting as Drury Lane was the focus of the original 18th
century club’s activities. If anyone knows someone who might be able to help
with this, please get in touch with me at suffolkwritersgroup.com.
Afternoon Tea at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane.
Visit the website for details. https://thelane.co.uk/news/a-showstopping-afternoon-tea-theatre-magic-meets-timeless-tradition-at-the
I’d also like to find a range of other suitable venues across the
country in which to hold Shakespeare Ladies tea parties and related events so
if anyone has any ideas, please send me an email or visit my website sometime
after mid-September 2025.
Details of all the tea parties, talks, workshops and book signing events will be posted on maiblackauthor.com as soon as I have finished setting it up.
In the meantime, please follow me on social media to find out more about
my writing and the relaunch of The Shakespeare Ladies Club for the 21st
century.
Facebook: @maiblackauthor
Instagram: @maiblackauthor and @shakespeareladies
X: @maiblackauthor
TikTok: @shakespeareladies
I’m hoping to have my novel published in the next few months and build
my @shakespeareladies platforms on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. I will
hopefully soon be doing related talks, workshops, book signings and Shakespeare
Ladies tea parties in Suffolk, Stratford and London. For details, email me at suffolkwritersgroup@gmail.com or message me on social media.
******
Thank you very much, Mai, for such an entertaining and fascinating showcase.
******
In September, I will be showcasing
another fabulous writer:
Nicola Walpole
Not to be missed!
******
So far in this series, I’ve showcased the following writers:
Ruth Loten – March 2023
Jane Langan – March 2023
Beck Collett – April 2023
Ron Hardwick – June 2023
L.N.Hunter – July 2023
Katherine Blessan – August 2023
Jill Saudek – September 2023
Colin Johnson – October 2023
Sue Davnall – November 2023
Alain Li Wan Po – December 2023
Lily Lawson – January 2024
Philip Badger – February 2024
Glen Lee – March 2024
DHL Hewa - April 2024
Tonia Trainer - May 2024
Mike Poyzer – June 2024
Judith Worham - July 2024
Chrissie Poulter - August 2024
Adele Sullivan - September 2024
Lin De Laszlo - October 2024
Wendy Heydorn - November 2024
Elisabeth Basford - December 2024
Karen Honnor - January 2025
Sharon Henderson - February 2025
Gae Stenson - March 2026 [collaboration]
Dr Trefor Stockwell - March 2025 [collaboration]
Karen Downs-Barton
Pavitra Menon
Suzanne Burn
Cinnomen Matthews
Mai Black
[31 so far]
You can find all these showcases by scrolling back through the material on this blog.
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