Judy Upton – författare

Join the schemers and the dreamer on the English seafront, as another summer season begins. There''s serious money to be made. Amongst the paint-peeling kiosks on the prom, Ella arrives like an erotic whilrwind, hell-bent on secruing the elusive jackpot and a ticket to Hollywood. But everyone else is raising their game too and, as events race towards an explosive conclusion, a pet hamster lies frozen amongst the melting Mivvis.

Ashes and Sand: "Searing, brutal...Judy Upton''s vicious little hand grenade of a play explodes onto the stage...her writing blazes with anger about the waste of a generation with no hopes" Independent"Sunspots confirms Upton as one of the most promising writers working in London at present" What''s OnPeople on the River: "A skilfully written and entertainingly hard-nosed look at the victim culture of tabloid telly" Time OutStealing Souls: "The writing is diamond hard, slippery and clear like thin ice covering a particularly murky pond" GuardianKnow Your Rights: "A moving and accomplished piece...Upton''s play can dispense with arguments and right-on statements because in creating characters she develops situation." The Times

Ashes and Sand: "Searing, brutal...Judy Upton''s vicious little hand grenade of a play explodes onto the stage...her writing blazes with anger about the waste of a generation with no hopes" Independent"Sunspots confirms Upton as one of the most promising writers working in London at present" What''s OnPeople on the River: "A skilfully written and entertainingly hard-nosed look at the victim culture of tabloid telly" Time OutStealing Souls: "The writing is diamond hard, slippery and clear like thin ice covering a particularly murky pond" GuardianKnow Your Rights: "A moving and accomplished piece...Upton''s play can dispense with arguments and right-on statements because in creating characters she develops situation." The Times

Join the schemers and the dreamer on the English seafront, as another summer season begins. There''s serious money to be made. Amongst the paint-peeling kiosks on the prom, Ella arrives like an erotic whilrwind, hell-bent on secruing the elusive jackpot and a ticket to Hollywood. But everyone else is raising their game too and, as events race towards an explosive conclusion, a pet hamster lies frozen amongst the melting Mivvis.

Original tales by remarkable writersHometown Tales is a series of books pairing exciting new voices with some of the most talented and important writers at work today. Some of the tales are fiction and some are narrative non-fiction - they are all powerful, fascinating and moving, and aim to celebrate regional diversity and explore the meaning of home. In these pages on the South Coast, you''ll find two unique tales. ''Margate Calling'' is an intimate, honest and inspiring account of living in Margate by award-winning BBC broadcaster Gemma Cairney. ''Maisie and Mrs Webster'' is a bold, fiercely funny and deeply moving piece of fiction about an obese young woman who is confined to her bed and longs to see the sea, by Brighton-based playwright Judy Upton.

Maisie is 31 and weighs 33 stone – that’s 2 stone lighter than when she had to be winched from her window by crane, in a bariatric rescue. An irrepressible force of nature, Maisie is upbeat, funny and self-deprecating. Now after 2 months in Brighton General Hospital she’s being discharged, on a new diet and once again able to walk short distances with the aid of a stick.

Maisie’s landlady has used her hospital stay as the excuse to evict her. Fortunately though, after several weeks of every official body dodging responsibility, her “social wonder” has found her a new flat. It’s in a shabby house conversion near the seafront. As well as the partial sea view, Maisie is excited about finally having neighbours. She hopes it will be like the TV show ‘Friends’.