Three poems and a short story explore ideas around loss - an experience that many have encountered in their lives, often with devastating consequences. These include a loss of self and identity, the cost of violence and cruelty, the death of loved ones and the losses that seem small but are irreplaceable and fragile. Bringing with them their different idioms, experiences, cultures and knowledge Kwame Dawes, Helen Dunmore, Robin Robertson and Henry Shukman create diverse, poignant and memorable pieces of writing that are also thought-provoking, original and occasionally disturbing.

'The Magic of Monarchy' is Kwame Dawes's affecting poem exploring the effect of violence upon a culture. Religion, empire and arrogance bring society to its knees, and all that is left is devastation, hunger and emptiness.

Helen Dunmore is a highly regarded novelist and poet but is also one of Britain's finest short-story writers. 'At the Institute with KM' follows in the style of her more recent novels, in which she has shifted from the domestic to create work on a broader canvas.

Robin Robertson's work is often complex, dry and thoughtful. In 'Unfound' he reflects on the ambiguity of the feelings that parents have toward their children. Touching, tender and loving, Robertson's poem resonates with intimacy and a thorny kind of love.

Henry Shukman's poem, 'Four a.m. in Icy Mountains', will resonate for many who have experienced the haziness, uncertainty and obscurity of the early morning. A sobering account of a new day dawning, Shukman's poem reflects the daunting possibilities of things to come.

Henry Shukman

Henry Shukan's collection In Dr No's Garden was a Book of the Year in The Times and the Guardian, and won the Aldeburgh Poetry Prize in 2003. He has also won the Daily Telegraph Arvon Poetry Prize, and his poems have appeared in the Guardian, The Times, Daily Telegraph, Independent on Sunday, Times Literary Supplement, London Review of Books and New Republic. He has worked as a travel writer and a trombonist. Henry also featured previously in New Writing theme Couples.

Robin Robertson

Robin Robertson is from the north-east coast of Scotland. His most recent book is a selection of free English versions of poems by Tomas Transtromer, The Deleted World. He has received numerous awards for his work, and his third book of poetry, Swithering, recently won the 2006 Forward Prize for Best Collection.

Helen Dunmore

Helen Dunmore is a poet, novelist, short story writer and writer for children. She won the inaugural Orange Prize for Fiction for her novel A Spell of Winter. Her latest novel is House of Orphans (2006). The second volume in the 'Ingo' series of novels for children, The Tide Knot, was also published in 2006. A new collection of poems, Glad Of These Times, is published in Spring 2007. Helen Dunmore is a Fellow of The Royal Society of Literature.

Kwame Dawes

Born in Ghana in 1962, Kwame Dawes spent most of his childhood in Jamaica. As a poet, he is profoundly influenced by the rhythms and textures of that lush place, citing in a recent interview his 'spiritual, intellectual, and emotional engagement with reggae music.' His book Bob Marley: Lyrical Genius remains the most authoritative study of the lyrics of Bob Marley. Kwame Dawes is the author of twelve collections of poetry.  His most recent collections are, Impossible Flying (Peepal Tree, 2006) and Wisteria (Red Hen, 2006).  In 2007, Akashic Books will publish his novel She's Gone.  His awards include The Forward Poetry Prize, the Hollis Summers Poetry Prize, a Pushcart Prize, and the Poetry Business Award.  His non-fiction writing includes the book A Far Cry from Plymouth Rock: A Personal Narrative (Peepal Tree, 2006).  Kwame Dawes, former director of the MFA program at the University of South Carolina, is founder and director of the USC Poetry Initiative.  In 2005 he was appointed the Executive Director of the University of South Carolina Arts Institute.  Dawes is the programmer for the Calabash International Literary Festival held in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, each year, and is the Director of the Calabash Writer's Workshop.  For is a former faculty member of Cave Canem and the Louise Frye Liberal Arts Professor in the College of Liberal Arts.  He is Distinguished Poet in Residence at USC.  Brimming is his third collection of poems based on the work of artists.  Bruised Totems (2005) was written in response to the Bareis collection of African Art, and Requiem (1996) was based on Tom Feelings' harrowing paintings in The Middle Passage: White Ships/ Black Cargo.

Photograph Jason Wallace

Illustration © Maurizio Marmorato