The Beeb is ever so good at that perspective thing. In an article announcing a project to reheat debate of the issues of the day they also wax historical on the role of coffee houses in the UK.
See also: Bloggle’s Penny Universities.
This side of the pond, there’s a market for Coffee House Tales of another sort, and if you’re of the authorial bent, this one’s for you. Coffee House Fiction has cobbled together the Dame Lisbet Throckmorton Fiction Writing Contest… top prize: $500. Fun.
Is the Dame Lisbet Throckmorton contest legit? There is no link to previous winners or their stories, or to Mud House Publishers.
Interested
Hard to say, really. I note the contest *is* referenced on a regional writers’ network. Could easily be a tiny imprint that simply hasn’t done much with the web… and so doesn’t really understand how important it can be to anchor opportunity with the weight of proof of authenticity.