A haiku, an ode, a sonnet, a limerick, an elegy ... more poetry,please.
Poetry Books
Carcanet Press Ltd Essays on Departure: New and Selected Poems
Book Synopsis"Essays on Departure" is a gathering of 25 years' work by one of the most elegant and pertinent poets working in English, work from eight books, including a generous excerpt from the electrically erotic verse novel "Love, Death and the Changing of the Seasons", and new work written in the shadow of hegemonic empire. Often unabashedly narrative, at once witty and elegiac, this is a poetry in open dialogue with its sources, as close at hand or as surprising as Donne , Akhmatova, the American poet Muriel Rukeyser, Joseph Roth or the Algerian Kateb Yacine. In the past decade, this exchange has been informed by Hacker's widely-published translations of contemporary French poets, and for the first time a selection of this work is included with her own poems. Marilyn Hacker's poetry has been - and will be - acclaimed for its keen observations of the poet's two cities, New York and Paris, its fusion of precise form and demotic language, its music, its memory, its confrontations with mortality and its stubborn delectation of life.
£12.30
Bene Factum Publishing Ltd What am I Doing Here?: More Poems
Book Synopsis
£9.99
Carcanet Press Ltd Red House
Book SynopsisIn "Red House", her third collection, Sasha Dugdale evokes the ghosts and presences that flit about on the margins of our lives. She finds them at the edge of towns where superstores and allotments blur an older landscape, in Europe where emigrants leave their gods, their neighbours, their memories 'jettisoned like old clothes'; and across the chalk Downs of her native Sussex. She traces the shapes that they leave through folk song, lament and lyric poetry. Haunted by history, confronted by primal brutalities, the poems in "Red House" proclaim the fierce, bright authenticity that is 'all the proof we need that we're alive'.Trade Review"Sasha Dugdale is a poet of great subtlety and rare formal resource." Paul Batchelor, "North"
£9.95
Carcanet Press Ltd New and Selected Poems: Chris Wallace-Crabbe
Book SynopsisThis book distils an adult lifetime into the intense magic of poetry. Wallace-Crabbe is a nature poet in the broadest possible sense: his poems, ranging widely in tone and subject-matter, seek above all to convey the richness and variety of our world, his sense that we are 'inserted headlong into life' and must make the best of what comes to us. Throughout his work - at times wryly philosophical, at times gently elegiac - Wallace-Crabbe remains passionately committed to his quest, 'troubling the stubborn world for meaning'.
£14.20
Carcanet Press Ltd To the War Poets
Book SynopsisIn To the War Poets John Greening sends dispatches across the decades. In a sequence of verse letters he addresses the poets of the First World War directly, making connections yet always aware of distance: 'No larks, / just the passing of traffic.' Greening explores 'Englishness', but also, in his translations from German poets, goes beyond it. From the discovery of the Sutton Hoo burial in 1939 to the security forces' shut-down of Heathrow airport in 2006, the presence or threat of conflict underlies Greening's precise, unsentimental writing.Trade Review'"So to conclude calamity in rest." In his powerful new collection, John Greening opens lines of communication with poets of the Great War, bridging a century with heart-work of immediacy, economy and humanity.' --Penelope Shuttle 'Delightfully alert to connections and intersections, to historical ironies... [Greening is] a serious (but never excessively solemn) poet, who cares about both 'facts' and ideas and makes his poetry out of the interpenetration of the two.' --Glyn Pursglove
£9.95
Carcanet Press Ltd Ethiopia Boy
Book SynopsisChris Beckett grew up in 1960s Ethiopia, a country he describes as a 'barefoot empire, home of black-maned lions ...old priests decked out like butterflies and blazing young singers of Ethio-jazz'. "Ethiopia Boy" plunges the reader into praise poems that sing and boast and glory in the colours and textures of this extraordinary country. Here is a world of feasting on spicy kikwot and of famine sucking the water from rivers, of lion buses and a prayer child, where Earth sings greetings to the feet that walk on her. Haunted by the memory of his friend Abebe, the cook's son, Beckett celebrates and laments a lost boyhood in poems of vivid immediacy. Cover painting: "Isao Miura", "Crossing the Water" (oil on canvas). Reproduced by kind permission of the artist.Trade Review'There is a drive to these poems, a quality of song, a fresh simplicity that neatly sidesteps sentimentality though replete with longing, a feel for the past.' --Fred D'Aguiar 'Chris Beckett's poetry is highly original in the way it works with two sharply distinctive traditions in a uniquely engaging style. The language is always fresh and surprising and the sentiments are always heartfelt but in a subtly complex way that raises serious political questions.' --Daljit Nagra
£9.95
Classical Comics Henry V Plain Text
Book SynopsisIt's the 15th century and the Archbishop of Canterbury, worried over impending legislation that would effectively rob the Church in England of its power and wealth, convinces Henry V to forego this pursuit in favour of laying claim to France. This title presents the historic tale of war and peace between England and France in the reign of Henry V.
£9.99
Desert Hearts Khojaly: A Play about Surviving
Book Synopsis
£12.88
Empire Publications Ltd Flyin' High
Book SynopsisWe accompany an awe-struck seven year-old Salford boy at his first game in 1966 watching Best, Law and Charlton in their pomp, through relegation, raucous away days and foreign adventures. There is bucket-loads of beer, banter... and Barcelona''s Nou Camp for the greatest night of all! The cast includes Sir Matt, Captain Marvel, Eric the King, The Baby-faced Assassin, Reliant Robin and The Ginger Prince. The writer revels in a Fergie Wonderland, yet there''s solemnity too, the passing of heroes and American impostors. Above the Theatre of Dreams though, the red flag was, as ever, flying high.
£7.95
Playdead Press Catnip
Book Synopsis
£9.49
Playdead Press Girl with a Book
Book Synopsis
£8.07
Playdead Press Oedipus Retold
Book Synopsis
£9.49
Playdead Press Picasso's Artful Occupation
Book SynopsisIn a gloomy vault of a Paris bank in September 1940, Picasso has been summoned by the German occupation authorities. His precious works of art are to be inventoried. But for what reason? To the new German order Picasso is an artist of the ''Bolshevik-degenerate'' variety. Is this summons a prelude to the art equivalent of the burning of the books? An art Kristallnacht just for Pablo -- the most famous artist alive? A desperate, surreal, sometimes comic, battle of wits and wills ensues. If Picasso loses, the consequences could be dire, both for him personally and for his work.
£9.49
Playdead Press Where Nothing Arrives
Book Synopsis
£9.49
Playdead Press Moon Project
Book SynopsisLeila is an aeronautical engineer. Shahab is a film maker. Today they have been asked to give a talk about their famous friendship and how two such unlikely people have become friends in the first place. It all started with a crash. Leila was thrown into the air one day when Shahab crashed his car into her. Did she experience shock? or peak experience? And was it possible she experienced both at once? Meanwhile Shahab, who has spent his whole life on the run, is having to come to terms with why he didn''t stop to see if Leila was ok. Moon Project is about how often the thing we want the most is the thing we are most frightened of. It is also about space.
£9.49
Playdead Press Workshy
Book SynopsisThis is a play for young people about six characters exploring their relationship to work, education, society and the influences/barriers to all of these. Six friends wake to the first day of the rest of their lives after their A Levels. Harry is not too worried as his parents are well enough off for him to bounce around before joining the family business. Ben has got a job working with his dad on the dustbin lorries and is putting money over studies. Hannah works too much. Ruth and Mandy have big ideas about uni, but Mandy has just discovered that she and Joe might be about to become parents. Joe has no plans, no motivation for work, nothing to look forward to at all. Could a baby really be the answer to his prayers? Education @ The Palace joined forces with Vision West Nottinghamshire performing arts department and Create Theatre to present this new play, which comes from Write Track, the new writing programme at the Mansfield Palace Theatre.
£9.49
Playdead Press Dog Days
Book SynopsisIt''s probably the menopause. My Aunty Vera''s went on for twenty years. She was so hot once, she ended up in the freezer cabinet at Tesco''s. Just got in with the fisherman''s pies.'' What do you do when your world turns upside down? Cate and Johns marriage has hit the rocks. Now they are trapped in a nightmarish limbo until they manage to sell the family home. When a rather unusual couple fall in love with the house, it looks like the answer to their prayers-but be careful what you wish for... A wickedly dark comedy about love loss and real estate. Dog Days was first show at Theatre 503.
£9.49
Playdead Press Life's a Gatecrash
Book Synopsis
£9.49
Playdead Press Glass Supper
Book SynopsisMarcus and Colin have escaped the madness of London to live in the peaceful countryside. But will this new idyllic reality soon be shattered when Steven, his beautiful young boyfriend, Jamie, and Wendy arrive unexpectedly for supper? The Glass Supper is a blistering, poetic, funny new drama about the search for love and sex in the modern world. The Glass Supper by BAFTA-Nominated Martyn Hesford is a searing new comic play from the writer and team behind Mrs Lowry and Son (Critics'' Choice in The Times and in The Telegraph, 2013). It had its UK première in July 2014 at the Hampstead Theatre in a production starring Michelle Collins.
£9.49
Playdead Press Notes From Other Worlds A Series of Dramatic
Book Synopsis
£9.49
Playdead Press Union
Book Synopsis"Union" tells the story of the original Union of Scotland and England in 1707 as you have never heard it before. Tim Barrow''s play is an energetic and highly theatrical romp through the raucous leaking taverns off the Royal Mile, Kensington Palace and the Scottish Parliament. Union is rich in famous historical figures such as Daniel Defoe and Queen Anne, as well as our great Scottish poet -- Allan Ramsay - who finds love in Grace, a prostitute in the bawdy and dangerous world of Eighteenth Century Edinburgh. Don''t miss this big, foul-mouthed yet eloquent story as it leaps onto The Lyceum (Edinburgh) stage in the year of referendum.
£9.49
Playdead Press Act Now!: Monologues for Young People
Book SynopsisThis new collection of contemporary monologues has been developed through consultation with young people. They offer a range of authentic voices and relevant issues to stimulate discussion and participatory drama work. Monologues featured: A Friend Request by Kate Collins (Act Now! Monologue Competition Winner) -- Joshua can be whoever he wants in an online world; Father''s Footsteps by Mary Cooper -- everything has changed since Nathan''s son was born. But is his past still ruling his future?; Web Pal by Billy Cowan -- Zoe has met someone special on Facebook. Will he turn out to be the same as his profile pic?; A Change for the Better by Anne Neville -- Ian liked his last school. He doesn''t understand why things had to change; It Should Have Been Me by Billy Cowan -- when faced with unrequited love, will Sophie take revenge on the object of her affection?; Cheers by Ged McKenna -- Ben has finally found the courage to speak up, but not everyone is thanking him.
£9.49
Playdead Press Lottys War
Book Synopsis
£9.49
Playdead Press Jezebel
Book SynopsisA clever comedy about the dumb consequences of hot sex meeting cold statistics. Alan and Robin are a go-getting couple who want to spice up their sex life. Jezebel is a woe-fretting singleton who''s looking to get one. Could a threesome be the answer to all their problems? Follow this unlikely trio on a fast-paced adventure of misunderstandings and unexpected complications. Jezebel is a light-hearted lesson in what not to do when your sex life needs saving. Jezebel was commissioned by Rough Magic Theatre Company through its SEEDS programme and premièred at Project Arts Centre, Dublin in December 2012. It was revived for a 2014 Irish tour and dates in Paris and Glasgow, and subsequently transferred to Soho Theatre in August 2014.
£9.49
Playdead Press Sum
Book Synopsis
£9.49
Playdead Press Inside
Book SynopsisInspired by astonishing true stories, INSIDE is a psychological drama that explores the effects of Stockholm Syndrome on a kidnap victim desperate to keep hope. Locked in a basement for 12 years, she has survived physical and psychological abuse by escaping to her childhood and recording video messages to her Mum. Now, reeling from her latest beating and in the most critical hour of her captivity, the victim discovers that not everything she''s been told is true. But to find a way out, she''ll have to break through something much stronger than just the basement door.
£8.54
Playdead Press Fields Unsown
Book SynopsisLate summer 1916. With an overwhelming number of casualties coming back from the Front, Morden Hall has been transformed into an auxiliary hospital for injured soldiers. All over the country women are eager to support the war effort and offer their services as V.A.D. Nurses. But when the daughter of an eminent MP who''s pushing a controversial bill arrives, Matron Enid Woods makes it clear Elizabeth Ewing Chapple isn''t welcome. Fields Unsown uncovers the secret history of Morden Hall Park, exploring the legacy of the First World War, acknowledging its impact on colonialism and honouring Gilliat Edward Hatfeild''s wish that the grounds be enjoyed by the local community now and for many years to come.
£9.49
Playdead Press Wind in the Willows
Book SynopsisBy Kenneth Grahame, Adapted by Gari Jones. Toad hasn''t been seen since the most recent of his escapades backfired, Badger doesn''t react well to visitors in the winter and Ratty and Mole have tucked themselves away eating sardines and telling tales of sunnier days. How will we drive the wild-wooders back where they belong? Warm your feet by the fire, toast yourself a crumpet and let us thrill you with the daring adventures of Mr Toad, as his friends try to put him off his latest scheme while the seasons turn on the riverbank.
£9.49
Playdead Press Moment We Met
Book SynopsisHow does one woman make sense of events that are beyond her control but which touch her deeply? This is the focus of THE MOMENT WE MET. Liz is an ordinary woman - an amazing ordinary woman - who struggles to make sense of the senseless. Only when she uncovers the truth of what happened in the past, and of who had been involved, will she find any degree of inner peace. Hers is an unremitting, inescapable struggle to sift truth from lies and to balance personal fulfilment with the need for justice. Admirable, moving, tenacious -- Liz is a woman for our times...
£9.49
Playdead Press Smilin Through Still Ill
Book Synopsis
£10.44
Playdead Press Treasure Island
Book SynopsisThe Robert Louis Stevenson classic, originally written in 1883 and which created the archetype pirate, is here brought to life through theatrical magic in 2015. Jim has three visitors, as if from dreams or nightmares, and life is never the same again. A journey of discovery and betrayal is re-imagined in an inventive and nutty new theatrical adaptation. Whilst retaining the narrative of Stevensons classic, with depth, integrity, a dash of thriller and a large amount of silliness, Gari Joness adaptation zips along like a wacky race brimming with pirate speak, off-the-wall characters and a whole heap of original shanties and brand new songs. The original production was created in collaboration with Oxfords Creation Theatre.
£9.49
Playdead Press No Place for a Woman
Book SynopsisThe wife of a commandant is throwing a party. She asks her husband for champagne. Instead he brings home a ballet dancer from the camp. An extraordinary story that explores the strength of marital love, the redemptive power of dance, and the survival of two women who live as neighbours but are worlds apart.
£9.49
Playdead Press In My Head
Book Synopsis
£9.49
Playdead Press Getting Better Slowly
Book Synopsis"What if you woke up to find your body was slowly shutting down? Unable to walk, talk or blink and nobody knows why When Guillain Barré Syndrome affected Adam Pownall it caused full paralysis within days. Getting Better Slowly tells his inspiring story of recovery through new writing, sound and movement. Funny, moving, and honest, Adams journey through illness and rehabilitation including months re-learning how to walk and talk invites audiences to consider how they would deal with an unexpected illness or accident, and explores how it feels when your closest relationship is with the illness thats holding you back."
£9.49
Playdead Press Choosers
Book Synopsis"Alfie and Reg are homeless. A series of unconnected events has led them to this park, at this time, under this tree. As days unfold, an unlikely friendship forms as the two men navigate life under the light of a single lamp post. Choosers is a funny and tender new play about male companionship and the humanity behind the label of homelessness."
£9.49
Playdead Press Hidden
Book Synopsis"A love story about invisible disability. Chris is a city lawyer; Jess is a Ph.D student. Two ordinary people in a relationship who want to get on with their lives. The birth of their son and the economic crash create a catalyst of events that leads them to discover who they really are. Can their relationship survive the challenges of accepting their newfound reality?"
£9.49
Playdead Press Just an Ordinary Lawyer
Book SynopsisNigerian Tunji Sowande quietly breaks through multiple barriers to become Britains first Black judge in 1978. Also a fine concert singer and keen cricket lover, he muses on international politics and history as they affect the Black world from Africa to the USA and Britain, but only as one who would rather watch sports, and spread love and peace through the medium of song. Recalling heroic sporting achievements alongside epoch-defining political events, Tayo Aluko follows the multi-award-winning Call Mr. Robeson with another brilliantly put together history lesson delivered as art.
£999.99
Playdead Press Worsooz
Book SynopsisWhen Worsooz meets her estranged father Nick, her mother Alberta is immersed in a secret relationship with girlfriend Anne and building their plan to rid the world of domestic violence. Isolated and disgusted by her mothers relationship, Worsooz is lured into criminality by her father Nick and immerses herself into a secret world where only men can belong. Set in the late 1980s Worsooz is a semi-autobiographical story of how far one girl will go for the love of her father.
£9.49
Playdead Press Call Mr. Robeson
Book Synopsis
£9.49
Playdead Press An Evening with Lucian Freud
Book SynopsisIt is the day of Laura''s Ph.D. viva and she arrives early at the university research office. While she waits, she recounts the extraordinary tale of the evening she spent with the artist Lucian Freud. Based on a real life encounter, this personal, anecdotal tale is blended with art historical and biographical insights and features a range of fictionalised sitters who have been on the receiving end of Freud''s unflinching gaze. Laura-Jane Foley''s compelling monologue with video cameos takes us inside Lucian Freud''s studio and lays bare the fascinating and complex character of one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. The play explores the themes of memory, permanence and creativity, and ultimately reflects on how artists, and writers, must use people to make their art. "An Evening with Lucian Freud" received its world premiere at the Leicester Square Theatre, London on 19 May 2015.
£9.49
Playdead Press The Ruck
Book SynopsisFrom the Golden Mile to the Gold Coast: A new play inspired by the real life story of the first UK girls rugby league team to tour Australia. All the way from Yorkshire UK, the original County of Origin of Rugby League, comes a new force to be reckoned with in the sport: the mighty Batley Girls Under 16 team. This group of girls from a small Yorkshire town have grown up together and are ready for tough challenges on and off the pitch; but are they prepared for what''s in store on the other side of the world? Follow the story of these inspirational young women as they overcome boy (and girl) problems, friendship dramas, racial discrimination and deep-hidden family secrets, all set against the backdrop of a changing community in a diverse industrial town. THE RUCK is an energetic story told with physical theatre and music, written by award-winning playwright Kevin Fegan and directed by Joyce Branagh.
£9.49
Playdead Press James Bonney M.P.
Book Synopsis"James Bonney, the swashbuckling moderate, the (ladies) man of the people doesnt take kindly to enemies within not his new leader who believes in something called socialism nor his local rival who thinks hes sold out. His political rival lives with his daughter while his agent fancies his wife. No one said life was perfect. Can James maintain his position, crush internal enemies and secure his place in history? And what does he have to do to bag that shadow cabinet post?"
£9.49
Playdead Press A Gym Thing
Book SynopsisDriven by a daily quest for perfection, Will takes us on a fast paced, sweaty, physical exploration of how the gym has strengthened and weakened his relationships, his physique and ultimately his life. A complex love story from a gym addicts point of view, set within a 60 minute workout, A Gym Thing tackles body image and bigorexia (Body Dysmorphic Disorder), leaving those who dont visit the gym with a greater understanding of why we do what we do.A Gym Thing transferred to London after an exhilarating run at the Pleasance Courtyard, 2017 Edinburgh Festival.The gym has taken our society by storm. Its a lifestyle and an imperative part of many peoples daily routines. What isnt so widely publicised are some of the negative effects. A Gym Thing shines a much needed spotlight on the world of Bigorexia (reverse anorexia), Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). BDD affects men and women equally, quality of life is extremely poor and the suicide rates are amongst the highest in all of the mental disorders.
£9.49
Playdead Press Hyem: (Yem, Hjem, Home)
Book Synopsis"Everyone says Mick and Sylvs is dangerous. So why does Dummey feel its so much like home? Young Alan Dummey Dummett doesnt fit in. He lives on the Fountain Park Estate, Northumberland, voted the second worst estate to live in Britain 1992. It doesnt even have a fountain. Or a park. His school the Police even his parents dont want him. Nobody does. Until he meets Mick and Sylv. Dummeys found a new home but one with consequences he could never imagine. A runner up in the Papatango New Writing Prize HYEM (yem, hjem, home) is a play about belonging, broken families and finding somewhere safe in a world about to go to war."
£9.49
Playdead Press Guesthouse
Book SynopsisThree generations of women try to push back the tide.It is 1966. I am sixteen years old and I am on the Venetian bridge with Brian Joy from the Golden Sands Guesthouse and he has bought me a 99 and I am on top of the world. Now I am 16, I know what boys want and why you mustnt give it to them.Tensions are high in Clacton-on-Sea. Guesthouse owner Val has been taken ill and both her estranged daughter Lisa and ambitious grand-daughter Chloe have arrived to lend a hand. Chloe is close to Val, having spent most of her childhood raised by her grandmother. But Lisa and her mother are not on best terms. In this poignant and beautifully observed drama, three generations of women have to set aside differences as they decide the fate of their family-run B&B.
£9.49
Playdead Press The Soft Subject A Love Story
Book Synopsis
£9.49
Playdead Press Distance
Book Synopsis"Steven, recently separated and heading towards divorce, bumps into an old friend on the journey to a job interview. A complex recent past and a fragile present collide, as Steven tries to make sense of the world around him and his place within it. We accelerate headlong into Stevens chaotic and troubled inner life, as the everyday encounter unravels into something dark, disturbing and unrestrained.Following the acclaimed Out Of The Cage, Alex McSweeney returns with this powerful contemporary story, to bring you an emotionally gripping, darkly funny, and visually dynamic portrayal of the mind. Distance is an urgent examination of mental illness, and its impact on the individual, their family, and the society around them."
£9.49
Playdead Press Silence
Book SynopsisWhat holds families together? What tears them apart? Whats brewing in the silences?1996. London. Its Ewas birthday. Her daughter Anna is coming home from university with a secret to share but Maria has some news of her own. As wartime memories of Siberia resurface, old steps are retraced to uncover the secrets of the past and a Polish heritage that unites and divides them.Nicola Werenowskas funny and fascinating new play hurtles between Warsaw and London over two decades and three generations of a Polish/British family.
£9.49
