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The Case of Inspector Campbells's Red Hair Julian Barnes (Word, 78k)
Julian Barnes' piece 'The Case of Inspector Campbells's Red Hair' draws upon the challenges he encountered when turning a real-life event into a piece of fiction for the Man Booker short-listed novel Arthur and George. With an engaging wit, Barnes discusses the integrity and responsibility of the author, the author as real-life detective and the issues he personally faces when a descendent of his character pop up on the scene. The Posthumous Papers of John Tunnock Alasdair Gray (Word, 80k)
Alasdair Gray's novel extract 'The Posthumous Papers of John Tunnock' is a funny and absorbing mystery with a post-modern twist where the author makes an appearance in his own fiction. It also draws on Scottish literary traditions, is surreal and bold in style and playfully invites the reader into a world of publishing and editing that offers the unlikely promises of fun and intrigue. Shelf Doubt: The Intimate History of Bookshops Boyd Tonkin (Word, 76k)
In his essay, 'Shelf Doubt: The Intimate History of Bookshops' Boyd Tonkin's enthusiasm for the romance of bookshops and the possibilities held within draws readers deeply into world that has seen a huge shift over recent years. However the potential hidden within dusty walls still exist for him and his gentle and nostalgic writing evokes a genuine passion.
The Sari Sharmistha Mohanty (Word, 49k)
Sharmistha Mohanty's short but profound description of the organic development of the sari in 'The Sari', conveys a huge amount about the history and cultural background of India, spanning social mores, the growth of the Mughal Empire, the changing status of women and even the climate. Mohanty's prose is crisp and elegant, revealing much about the changing status of women while ostensibly discussing clothing. A Memoir of Modest Appearences Rahat Kurd (Word, 74k)
In Rahat Kurd's autobiographical piece 'A Memoir of Modest Appearances' the muslim head cover is explored in terms of its cultural, literary and feminist significance. Kurd's informative and intriguing points, linking the writing of A. S. Byatt with the political notions of the muslim head cover are fascinating and Kurd's good-natured bewilderment keeps the piece of lively and engaging. Batman vs The Bull Adam Marek (Word, 59k)
Adam Marek's short story 'Batman vs the Bull', is a profound piece of imaginative writing that is a combination of surreal storytelling, horror story, rites of passage and a bold take on the idea of 'clothes maketh the man..' It tells the story of Casey, a young boy who is keen to win a party prize by collecting as much rubbish as possible. While on his quest, he encounters a disturbing character who quickly takes on the mythical figure of a bull, in a tense and frightening story.
The White Sheets Catherine Smith (Word, 48k)
Catherine Smith's poem, 'The White Sheets' describes sexual appetites that are urgent, intense and vigorous. Flitting from an exotic foreign situation to a gloomy part of London, the undercurrent of desire is prevalent throughout the poem. Gently humorous, wise and warm Smith's poem is a homage to love, romance and passion. Entertaining Friends Charles Lambert (Word, 71k)
The double - meaning contained within the title of Charles Lambert's witty story, 'Entertaining Friends' is typical of the sharp energy which infuses his writing. The narrator is a charismatic and narcissistic personality who enjoys a decadent life - style supported by ex - lovers, friends and potential paramours. Power, sensuality and ardour are at the heart of this ravishing tale. The Call Henry Shukman (Word, 48k)
Henry Shukman's tender poem, 'The Call' is a thoughtful letter of desire to an unattainable loved one some distance away - both physically and emotionally. Using the link between the enigma of technology and the mystique of love, Shukman movingly recounts the pain of torn loyalties, longing and impossible desire.
The Landing Anita Desai (Word, 68k)
Anita Desai’s lingering and elegant short story tells of a woman’s attempt to settle into her new home. She begins to feel less and less comfortable, especially when around the landing, and she realises that her longed-for solitude is proving elusive. A chilling and melancholy story where little is what it seems to be. War's Imperial Museum Karen McCarthy (Word, 50k)
Karen McCarthy’s shocking and disturbing poem investigates humankind’s potential for extraordinary, systematic brutality, and the attempts that we make to explain and understand our actions. Inspired by exhibits at London’s Imperial War Museum, she brings a personal response to the horrors of genocide. Interior, Degas Moniza Alvi (Word, 49k)
Moniza Alvi pays homage to Degas and his models in a beautiful poem surveying the world inhabited by Degas and his models. Alvi’s writing is evocative and resonant, capturing the essence of a specific time, a specific place.
A Wise Man Builds His House on a Rock Sarah Hymas (Word, 50k)
In Sarah Hymas's intriguingly named poem 'A Wise Man Builds His House on a Rock' she explores Christianity, war, duty and love. It is also an exploration of hope and optimism over rational thought, an analysis of religious tensions and the boundaries imposed by faith. Her journeys are metaphorical and physical, leading the reader into unknown and mysterious situations.
The Mongolian Spot Kerri Sakamoto (Word, 70k)
Kerri Sakamoto's 'The Mongolian Spot' is an absorbing piece of prose that features very real and captivating characters contrasting against a less tangible and specific series of events. War, ships bound for far off places, missing relatives, manipulative family members all combine to make for a compulsive piece of writing that sees a reluctant hero embark on a journey that even from the outset contains overtones of disaster.
Under Surveillance Wayne Burrows (Word, 54k)
Wayne Burrows travels by train across the English countryside. Using pertinent metaphors and subtle observations his poem explores the landscape he crosses, turning images on their head and offering unique insights into everyday objects.
On Cigarette Papers Pam Zinnemann-Hope (Word, 70k)
The poems featured combine to create a powerful narrative exploring the misery, futility and unpredictability of forced journeys. These journeys, made for mixed reasons, including love, optimism, hope, escape and fear, may lead to a safe destination, but there is no guarantee of serenity or joy at the other end.
Simile M. R. Peacocke (Word, 48k)
Taking the idea of the simile as its starting point, MR Peacocke's poem of love and loss is also an homage to both the power of language and its inadequacies. Sensual, evocative and filled with longing, 'Simile' is a tender reflection on love and loss. Afterbirth Nii Ayikwei Parkes (Word, 81k)
The extract from Nii Ayikwei Parkes' novel 'Afterbirth' is filled with the sounds of Africa - the language of the animals, the forest and the birds as well as the language of the people. Parkes' enthralling piece also explores the taboos and superstition which surround the words we use. Shangri-La Lisa Fugard (Word, 94k)
Lisa Fugard uses language to create a political context which reveals huge amounts about the characters and the places featured in her brooding short story, 'Shangri-La'. Language also reflects the distance between the characters: the servants and the tourists, the tourists and the narrator, the narrator and her mother. Ominous and affecting, Fugard's story skillfully captures the tensions and dramas at the heart of the narrative. Brand Ethiopia Lucy Eyre (Word, 60k)
In the essay 'Brand Ethiopia' Lucy Eyre brings to bear her vast knowledge of the country in an account of globalisation, branding and politics in the African nation. It is an absorbing portrait of a changing country and the impact of this transformation upon its people, economy and environment. With clarity and intelligence, Eyre's vision is penetrating and at times chilling.
Unfound Robin Robertson (Word, 46k)
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. Four a.m. in Icy Mountain Henry Shukman (Word, 48k)
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. The Magic of Monarchy Kwame Dawes (Word, 49k)
'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. At the Institute with KM Helen Dunmore (Word, 68k)
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.
'Hearing Myself Think' Richard Beard (Word, 72k)
Richard Beard's short story, 'Hearing Myself Think', is a carefully measured account of a man's search for himself as he ponders the coming and going of travellers at Heathrow Airport. It is a disquieting and compulsive story that draws readers deep into the man's psyche as we witness a mind unravelling. 'In the National Gallery' Doris Lessing (Word, 60k)
Doris Lessing's piece 'In the National Gallery' is a subtle, touching, funny and tense account of the dynamics that unfold between other viewers as she attempts to focus on a painting by Stubbs. Full of insight into the human condition, Lessing's meditation on the lives of others is both profound and engaging.
Down the Market Selma Dabbagh (Word, 81k)
In Selma Dabbagh's 'Down the Market', the siege began long before the story begins, and will no doubt continue for a long time: it is the terrible standoff between militant Jewish settlers and Arab villagers in the disputed territories of the Occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. Dabbagh's narrator, a Jewish boy visiting in London, doesn't seem to have any understanding of the seething tensions of the land he has stepped into, until he is the unwilling witness to a scene of racism and brutal violence. Territorial Robin Robertson (Word, 47k)
In the delicately observed poem 'Territorial' the poet watches, and is watched by, a cat as she stakes her claim to her territory: no intruder is going to take her by surprise. The Stopped Train Jean Sprackland (Word, 50k)
'The Stopped Train' is threaded with humour, as the poet gets inside the mind of a train broken down somewhere in the English countryside. The trapped passengers are angry enough that they can't get reception on their mobile phones, but they are also besieged, by the 'sly ditches and flat fields' of the outside world, which is just waiting to strike them down 'like stranded motorists in Death Valley'.
A Chinese Writer in London Ma Jian (Word, 61k)
A Chinese Writer in London by Ma Jian
Crash Joan Michelson (Word, 49k)
Poetry describing the death of Joan Michelson’s husband. Tender and raw, her poetry and prose reveals the long-lasting effects of a grief that has been given form through her writing as memory, dreams and prophecy create haunting images in this powerful elegy. Commuters Joan Michelson (Word, 48k)
Poetry describing the death of Joan Michelson’s husband. Tender and raw, her poetry and prose reveals the long-lasting effects of a grief that has been given form through her writing as memory, dreams and prophecy create haunting images in this powerful elegy.
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