About


Marram is named for the grass that holds the dunes together. Unglamorous, deep-rooted, the thing that keeps the coast where it is. I liked it as a name because it described what I wanted the writing to do.

I came home to Newcastle a few years ago after a long detour through cities that were meant to be the answer. They weren't. The answer, it turned out, was a smaller version of the life I'd grown up with, the one with sand in the car and salt on the windows. I started Marram to write about that version of life, and the people in this part of the country who've figured it out earlier than most.

What you'll find here: a Sunday letter, weekly. Sometimes a profile of someone whose work I think is worth your attention. Sometimes a piece about a building, a swimming spot, a stretch of road. Sometimes an essay about whatever the week has produced.

Always written for the reader who already suspects that the simple version was the right version.

I'm Luke Ryan. I edit everything that goes out under this masthead. If you want to get in touch, the address is below.