Rum & Reviews Magazine aims to bring you ‘Something for the Weekend’. Each week, we’ll take a look at the things which help all of us rest and relax in life and pass on our findings. Your weekend is hard-earned and fleets fast, so why waste time deciding your pursuits, or heaven forbid, making ill-informed choices. Whether it’s a good beer, a damn fine spirit, an invigorating cocktail or a mind-freeing book, our team of intrepid scholars and drunkards has it covered. In no particular order, they are:
Craig Heap (Editor) – Graduated from the University of Leeds with a first class degree in Creative Writing in 2007. Prior to launching Rum & Reviews Magazine he was with Cadaverine Magazine as their Reviews Editor. His short stories have appeared in various anthologies including the Raconnaissance, The End is Nigh and Elements of Wealth. Also an avid home brewer, you can follow him on Twitter @craigheap
Chris Hall (National Affairs Desk) – Through a previously unknown form of alchemy, Chris Hall converted his three-year Creative Writing degree into three years in the beer industry at a major brewing company, where he was trained in brewing and beer tasting by a Belgian Master Beer Sommelier. After a six month stint at a children’s charity in India, he has now reversed the same alchemic process to become a writer and beer critic in London. He blogs belligerently on beer at http://chrishallbeer.blogspot.com and tweets interminably on Twitter as @cshallwriter
Stephen Crotty (Whisky tsar) - ”Drinking critically so you don’t have to.” Follow him on Twitter @stevecrotty. Also, here’s a film he requested we show you http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtN1YnoL46Q
Douglas McCaffrey – Graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in Politics, Douglas is also a stand up comedian, avant-garde beer explorer and the inventor of the patented shower-beer. Follow him on Twitter @EstebanSemtex
Matt Cottom (Beer reviewer and Sound Guru) - Coors professional and industry insider for over five years. Also our sound expert – look out for upcoming Rum & Reviews audio material on Sound Cloud. Matt is now on Twitter @Matt_RnR
Ruari O’Toole (Beer reviewer) - Ruari graduated from the University of Sunderland with a degree in Journalism in 2008, and worked at Newcastle’s Sunday Sun newspaper until reorganisation and budget cuts forced him into a career in the public sector. He writes reviews of retro and homebrew video games at http://www.rgcd.co.uk, and makes up half of indie-folk duo The Lannisters (http://on.fb.me/GOuKtP). Follow him on Twitter @RuariOToole
Lucifer (Pipe Tobacco Reviewer) – When he’s not tormenting the damned or tempting the weak, Lucifer likes nothing better than indulging in the best that mortality has to offer. He finds high quality tobacco to be the perfect antidote to all that bothersome Brimstone, and cordially invites you to join him on his mission to discover the very finest examples of the witching weed. You bring the pipe and he’ll supply the Hellfire.
Can you be tempted? Follow him on Twitter at @generallucifer
Edward ‘Ted’ Hockin – Renowned Leeds based writer, musician, actor, poet and raconteur, Ted is a consummate pipe-smoker and pub-goer.
Wenna Turner (Researcher) – Graduated from Bretton Hall in 2007.
Ian Chung (Literary Reviewer) - studied English Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Warwick. His work has appeared in Quarterly Literary Review Singapore, Angelic Dynamo, Six Sentences, Foundling Review, The Cadaverine, Poetry Quarterly and Dr. Hurley’s Snake-Oil Cure, among others. He was nominated by Camroc Press Review for Sundress Publications’ 2010 Best of the Net anthology. Currently, he reviews for Evolve Journal, The Cadaverine and Sabotage. Since October 2010, he edits Eunoia Review (http://eunoiareview.wordpress.com), an online literary journal, and as of May 2011, he is a Fiction Editor at The Cadaverine.
Gabriella Swerling (Literary Reviewer)
Lucy Williamson (Literary Reviewer) – Lucy Williamson is a poet, reviewer and general writer who is just about to complete an English degree at the University of Leeds. More information can be found at: www.lucywilliamson.wordpress.com/
The Gentleman Drinker (Gentleman Drinker)
Acknowledgements
Rum & Reviews Magazine is grateful to the lovely people over at Pan Macmillan, and the technical wizadry of Marcos Avlonitis.
Disclaimers
Disclaimer 1 (Subjectivity clause): All reviews and features are heavily researched and carefully balanced; nevertheless, they are subjective. As such, your opinion may differ but we think that’s fine. Even so, if you feel strongly about it, Rum & Reviews Magazine would be interested to see your ‘counter’ review of any item we’ve covered. If it’s well written, we might even publish it and credit you. If you’re still unhappy, though, then we can only suggest you go ten rounds with The Gentleman Drinker.
Disclaimer 2 (Health warning): In 1924, the Jamaican Surgeon-General carried out a study on a group of men and women aged 18-65 to look into the long-term effects of drinking, smoking, reading and going to pubs. Alarmingly, as of 2011, none of the test subjects are presently alive. So remember, please enjoy stuff responsibly.
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