​I'm Gary Dexter. I've published various books, both fiction and non-fiction. You can see reviews of them in the national press here, or look below to see more details. I've also worked as a cartoonist.

I am also the author, under the name Alex Quick, of the manual 102 Ways to Write a Novel, and I teach novel-writing and non-fiction-writing to individual students and groups. Reviews from students are here. Please contact me at [email protected] for more details.

​I have appeared reciting poetry requests from memory on national radio and TV (Radio 4's Word of Mouth, Radio 2's Jeremy Vine programme, CBS TV, the Arte Channel and many other stations), and published a book of my experiences reciting poetry (The People's Favourite Poems, Old St 2018). 

​gary dexter's ​books and reviews
​

The People's Favourite Poems
​(Old St, 2018)
A memoir about poetry reciting.
'Dexter knows the nation's tastes better than
anyone.'
DAILY TELEGRAPH

Natural Desire in Healthy Women
​(Old St, 2014), a novel about the birth control movement of the 1920s.
'Engaging and occasionally hilarious, equal parts social satire and jokes about fluids'
GUARDIAN

The Oxford Despoiler
 ​(Old St, 2009),
a Victorian detective mystery. Translated into French and German.
'Wonderfully accomplished ... The whole thing is a delight' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 
'deliciously silly... crafted with historical precision' 
TIME OUT

---

All the Materials for a Midnight Feast
(Old St, July 2011), a novel about the peace movement of the 1980s.
​'A beautifully crafted work of fiction, graduating from a low-key opening into a real page-turner . . . One of the year's most impressive -- and affecting -- debuts'
SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

​102 Ways to Write a Novel
(Old St, 2012),
a manual for writers of fiction.
​'Spectacular for brainstorming and flipping through when inspiration seems to evade.' GOODREADS

​Why Not
​Catch-21?
(Frances Lincoln, 2003),
an exploration of the derivations of book titles.
'Dexter's gift is actually to shed light on the mysteries of literary creation'
GUARDIAN

​Poisoned
​Pens
(Frances Lincoln, 2003),
an exploration of the feuds of backbiting writers.
'Extremely entertaining - a potpourri of wit and invective.' 
DAILY MAIL

selected journalism

'Writers' Letters': a fortnightly cartoon strip in the Spectator, 2017-18
'Title Stories': a fortnightly cartoon strip in the Spectator, 2015-16
'Alternative Reading': a fortnightly column in the Spectator magazine 2005-2010, exploring the unknown writing careers of famous authors.
'Writers on Writers': a weekly column in the Guardian, 2005-2008: a compilation of backbiting quotes about writers, by fellow writers.