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Poetry Books
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Duncan Macmillan Plays One
Book SynopsisThis is the first collection from critically acclaimed playwright Duncan Macmillan, containing the plays Monster, Lungs, 2071, Every Brilliant Thing and People, Places and Things.Trade ReviewDuncan Macmillan’s cracking play is a timely and gripping dissection of parenting and responsibility… This is a play that tests your liberal instincts to the limits. * The Guardian, on Monster *An honest, original and pretty much irresistible tearjerker. * The New York Times ArtsBeat, on People, Places and Things *A woundingly intense two-hander. It is the most beautiful, quietly shattering play of the year. * The Express, on Lungs *If we look to theatre to increase our awareness of the human condition, the evening succeeds on all counts. [...] This talk, which deserves wide dissemination, is better than good: it is necessary. * The Guardian, on 2071 *Heart-wrenching, hilarious... one of the funniest plays you’ll ever see about depression – and possibly one of the funniest plays you’ll ever see, full stop. * The Guardian, on Every Brilliant Thing *The writing is exquisitely painful. At times it feels like Macmillan has taken one of those little spoons, the ones with the serrated edge, for grapefruit, and scooped something out of you. * The Stage, on People, Places and Things *It is a rigorous but impassioned cri de coeur [...] conveyed in a single voice, founded on a lifetime's experience of the workings of the planet, it has real power. * New Scientist, on 2071 *Duncan Macmillans cracking play is a timely and gripping dissection of parenting and responsibility This is a play that tests your liberal instincts to the limits. * The Guardian on Monster *If we look to theatre to increase our awareness of the human condition, the evening succeeds on all counts. This talk, which deserves wide dissemination, is better than good: it is necessary. * The Guardian on 2071 *It is a rigorous but impassioned cri de coeur [ ] conveyed in a single voice, founded on a lifetime's experience of the workings of the planet, it has real power. * New Scientist on 2071 *Heart-wrenching, hilarious... one of the funniest plays youll ever see about depression and possibly one of the funniest plays you'll ever see, full stop. * The Guardian on Every Brilliant Thing *Duncan Macmillan's cracking play is a timely and gripping dissection of parenting and responsibility. This is a play that tests your liberal instincts to the limits. * The Guardian on Monster *One of the most powerful and painfully funny plays I've ever seen. * New York Times on People, Places and Things *Table of Contents1. Monster 2. Lungs 3. 2071 4. Every Brilliant Thing 5. People, Places And Things
£20.89
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Spear the Scroll and the Pebble
Book SynopsisThis book presents a powerful new argument for how and why the Greek city-states, including their distinctive society and culture, came to be - and why they had the highly unusual and influential form they took. After reviewing early city-state formation, and the economic underpinnings of city-state society, three key chapters examine the way the Greeks developed their unique society. The spear, scroll and pebble encapsulate the book''s core ideas. The Spear: city-state Greeks developed a citizen-militia military system that gave relatively equal importance to each citizen-warrior, thereby emboldening the citizen-warriors to demand political rights. The Pebble: the resultant growth of collective political systems of oligarchy and democracy led to thousands of citizens forming the sovereign element of the state; they made political decisions through communal debate and voting. The Scroll: in order for such systems to function, a shared information base had to be Trade ReviewThis book makes a convincing case for the primacy of education and literacy in the ancient Greek world across the whole of society. It revolutionizes our understanding of the impact this literacy had on the development of government structures and daily life. -- Gil Davis, Associate Professor in Archaeology, Australian Catholic University, AustraliaTable of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1: The Origin and Early Development of the City-State Chapter 2: Economic Growth: A Necessary Condition for the City-State Chapter 3: The Spear: Warfare and the City-State Chapter 4: The Pebble: Collective Decision Making and the City-State Chapter 5. The Scroll: Literacy and the City-State Conclusion: The Literate Citizen Appendix 1: Aristotle’s Politeiai Appendix 2: Colonies and Metropoleis Notes Bibliography Index
£23.74
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Global Queer Plays
Book SynopsisA unique anthology bringing together stories of queer life from international playwrights, these seven plays showcase the dazzling multiplicity of queer narratives across the globe: the absurd, the challenging, and the joyful.From the legacy of colonialism in India to the farcical bureaucracy of marriage law in Kosovo; from a school counsellor in Taiwan coming out as HIV+, to coming of age in an Israel-Palestine coexistence camp, this is a genre-spanning collection of global writing.Contempt by Danish Sheikh (India)55 Shades of Gay by Jeton Neziraj, translated by Alexandra Channer (Kosovo)No Matter Where I Go by Amahl Khouri (Jordan)Only the End of the World by Jean-Luc Lagarce, translated by Lucie Tiberghien (France)Taste of Love by Zhan Jie, translated by Jeremy Tiang (Taiwan)Peace Camp Org by Mariam Bazeed (Egypt)Winter Animals by Santiago Loza, translated by Samuel Buggeln and Ariel G
£20.89
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Killology
Book SynopsisIn Killology, players are rewarded for torturing victims, scoring points for creativity.But Killology isn't sick. In fact it's marketed by its millionaire creator as a deeply moral experience. Because yes, you can live out your darkest fantasies, but you don't escape their consequences.Out on the streets, not everybody agrees with him.There is an instinctive revulsion against taking a human life. And that revulsion can be conquered.
£13.10
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Arthur Miller Plays 4
Book SynopsisListen to the dialogue: no other American dramatist has this feel for the ordinary talk of ordinary people, or the knowledge of what they do. This is more than a writer''s craft, it is a psychological and moral openness to humanity, an act not of imitating, but of sharing. Sunday TimesThis fourth anthology features Arthur Miller''s two early plays, The Golden Years, a historical tragedy about Montezuma''s destruction at the hands of Cortez, and The Man Who Had All the Luck, a fable about human freedom and individual responsibility, are brought together in this volume. It also features two of his contemporary shorter plays, I Can''t Remember Anything and Clara, first presented on a double bill as Danger! Memory. The latter focus on the importance and dangers of remembering the past, while the early plays, written at the time of the Second World War, mark the emergence of a drama in which public issues are rooted in private anxieties and c
£18.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Blanket Ban
Book SynopsisWinner of New Diorama, Underbelly and Methuen Drama's Untapped Award 2022Finalist for Best Performance Piece at the Offies Awards 2024 Sometimes I'm afraid of this play.Malta: Catholic kitsch, golden sun, deep blue sea, Eurovision and a blanket ban on abortion.Propelled by three years of interviews with anonymous contributors and their own lived experience, actors and activists Marta and Davinia interrogate Malta's restrictions on the freedom of women.What does it mean for your home to boast the world's most progressive LGBTQIA+ rights, leading transgender laws and a population that is almost unanimously anti-choice?Blanket Ban is a rallying cry from award-winning Chalk Line Theatre. This edition was published to coincide with the production at Underbelly Cowgate, Edinburgh, in August 2022.
£13.10
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Doctor
Book SynopsisFirst, do no harm. How do we defend the truth when no one agrees what it is and many have reason to undermine it?Very freely adapting Professor Bernhardi by Arthur Schnitzler, Robert Icke''s gripping moral thriller uses the lens of medical ethics to examine urgent questions of faith, belief, and scientific rationality.After a critically acclaimed run at London''s Almeida Theatre, The Doctor transferred to the West End in September 2022. This revised and updated edition was published to coincide with the new production.Trade Review‘A gripping moral thriller and a scorching examination of our age.’ * Financial Times *One of the peaks of the theatrical year. * Guardian *Brilliant stuff. And brave. * Sunday Times *
£10.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore
Book SynopsisWhere does the great Bengali poet and philosopher Rabindranath Tagore stand in today's global world? The legacy of Rabindranath Tagore is vast. No writer in the history of India and Asia in general matches his variety and range of creation. In this book, Ramin Jahanbegloo looks beyond the poetry and literature for which Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize, showing how his thinking enriches every branch of the humanities philosophy, pedagogy and the arts.Each chapter is dedicated to one aspect of Tagore's philosophy: his vision of human nature and its relation to Nature and God; his views on interculturality and dialogue among cultures; the idea of universal education and its influence on modern educative institutions. Reading Tagore as an intercultural thinker, Jahanbegloo seeks to understand how he confronted violent and fanatic orders. He places an emphasis on Tagore's social and political contributions, his dialogue with Gandhi and his approach to colonialism.Attempting to br
£17.09
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Nineteen Gardens
Book SynopsisWe were bound by the same dreamTo be there and to own itor to destroy itNearly two years after the end of their affair, John and Aga meet once more. Each has filled the void left by the other: he has withdrawn into his world of wealth and privilege; she has found herself working as a chambermaid to support her family. Both recognise that the spark between them is still there. Will they rekindle what they had, or is an altogether darker game about to be played out?Magdalena Miecznicka's Nineteen Gardens is a lyrical human comedy, by turns seductive, enigmatic and explosive. The author of several novels and plays in Polish, this is Miecznicka''s first play in English.This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere at London''s Hampstead Theatre, in November 2023.
£13.10
Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) Hide and Seek
Book SynopsisIt''s nice to have a secret.Gio, who has never felt accepted by anyone - not by parents, teachers or peers - decides to disappear and hide out in a secluded cave. When his popular classmate Mirko discovers him, Gio enlists him as an accomplice, convincing him to preserve his secret despite the media frenzy over his disappearance. The boys embark on an unexpected journey towards self-discovery and acceptance, setting in motion a series of dramatic consequences. The play shines a light on bullying, homophobia and the power of social media, exploring how discriminatory voices can deeply impact young minds. It highlights how being yourself is still a risky proposition in our society when it comes to sexual orientation and independent thought. Tobia Rossi''s Hide and Seek is a moving and darkly entertaining play that pits two teenage boys against each other in the face of the contagious prejudice of their small Italian town. This edition was publishe
£13.10
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC My Life as a Cowboy
Book SynopsisCountry is cool now I think it''s coolConor is 17. He lives with his mum in Croydon. He works at a leisure centre. He's gay. Life is not what he expected, and he's worried he might be well, a loser. He dreams of moving away, of being noticed, of being a somebody.When he hears about an opportunity to perform on stage at the very questionable Croydon People''s Day, he hatches a plan to indulge his passion of Country Western dancing and show the world just how cool he is. But he needs help.Enter best friend Zainab and fellow lifeguard Michael. Can they be convinced that this isn't in fact the biggest loser plan ever? Might they even join Conor on stage for his debut Country Western bonanza performance? In My Life as a Cowboy, Bruntwood Prize-longlisted playwright Hugo Timbrell's hilarious and heart-warming story of friendship, courage and cowboy dance moves, these three unlikely teenagers learn what it really means to dance, to emb
£13.10
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC VL
Book SynopsisWinner of a Fringe First Award 2024Winner of the Popcorn Writing Award 2024Here, you. Are you a VL?Max and Stevie are just two wee guys trying to survive in an ordinary Scottish secondary school. But to survive, sometimes you need to hide. And there''s no hiding when you''re a VL. A VL is a Virgin Lips. It means you''ve never kissed a lassie, or a laddie. But it's so much more than that. And the longer you stay a VL, the more of a VL you become. Kieran Hurley and Gary McNair, the Fringe First Award-winning writers of Square Go, team up again for another raucous and riotous comedy about status in a chaotic hormonal pressure cooker...This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere at Paines Plough''s Roundabout, produced by Francesca Moody Productions at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2024.
£13.10
Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) Pins and Needles
Book SynopsisIn this pseudo-verbatim play, Scottish playwright Rob Drummond explores the anti-vaxxer movement after the famous Wakefield paper and during the COVID pandemic through the eyes of three people with vastly different experiences.
£13.10
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC George Orwells 1984
Book SynopsisA thrilling and shocking adaptation of Orwell's acclaimed novel, detailing the dangers and realities of a totalitarian state.
£13.10
Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) Sisters 360
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£10.99
Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) The Constant Wife
Book SynopsisLaura Wade is a Olivier award winning playwright and screenwriter. Her plays include The Watsons (Chichester Festival Theatre and Menier Chocolate Factory), Home, I'm Darling (Theatr Clwyd, National Theatre and West End), Posh (Royal Court Theatre and West End), Tipping the Velvet (Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith), and Alice (Crucible Theatre, Sheffield).
£10.99
Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) Her Fathers Voice
Book SynopsisShane O'Reilly is an actor and theatre maker. He has been making and performing work for young audiences for a decade. He is currently writing two new works for theatre: Gold in the Water, a musical for family audiences, and Her Father's Voice - a new play/opera. Shane is currently researching working with young performers in a professional context with the support of an Arts Council YPCE Bursary.
£10.99
Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) Invasive Species
Book SynopsisMaia Novi is a writer and performer based in New York. Her play Invasive Species (Vineyard) which she wrote and starred in was named one of the Top 10 Cultural Events of 2024 by The Hollywood Reporter. She's currently in development on her first feature with Film4. Education: Yale School of Drama
£10.99
Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) Cow Deer
Book SynopsisNina Segal is a playwright and was the recipient of the 2022 Playwright's Scheme Award and was shortlisted for the 2020 George Devine Award. She won a Rose D'Or award for her short film CAPTURE, made with the Financial Times. She is under commission to the RSC, Donmar Warehouse, Chichester Festival Theatre, Soho Theatre and ETT.Katie Mitchell is an award-winning theatre and opera director with a career spanning 30 years and over 100 productions, in the UK and internationally. Her work has been staged at the Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre and the Royal Court and she has been an Associate Director at all three organisations.Melanie Wilson is a U.K. based inter-disciplinary performance maker. Her acclaimed work is founded on the dialogue between sound, experimental forms of composition, language, technology and live performance. Melanie's work creates spaces for audiences to feel and think deeply through listening.
£10.99
Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) An Instinct
Book SynopsisHugo Timbrell is a queer, dyslexic, Bruntwood Prize-longlisted writer from London. He likes stories with great plots, interesting forms and things that make you laugh. His work focuses on presenting gripping stories with protagonists you wouldn't usually see heading them. His work has been developed and supported by organisations including Traverse Theatre, Bruntwood Prize, Selladoor, HighTide Theatre and the Arcola Theatre.
£10.99
Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) Entertaining Mr Sloane
Book SynopsisJoe Orton (1933-1967) was an English playwright noted for his black comedies, which combine genteel dialogue with violent and shocking action. He delighted in shocking audiences by breaking taboos surrounding sexuality and death in conventionally structured 'black' farces involving epigrammatic dialogue and frenetic, convoluted plots. His plays include Entertaining Mr Sloane (1964), Loot (1965) and What the Butler Saw (1969).
£10.99
Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) Black Sheep
Book Synopsiscurious directive is a Norwich-based theatre company led by Artistic Director, Jack Lowe. Since 2008, curious directive has collaborated with an evolving family of actors, creatives and technicians. Their work has spanned the mid-scale, like Fringe First Winner, Pioneer (2014), OffWest End nominated Deciphering (2021) or Norfolk Arts Award Winner, Spindrift (2022). Curious directive also connect cutting-edge technology with theatre, like virtual reality theatre hybrid Frogman (2017) and Gastronomic (2019). Critically acclaimed, with 17 prestigious arts-science nominations and awards (recently Best Sound Design/Best Set and Costume Design in 2021 for Deciphering), their work is described as Super theatre with all synapses firing' (The Guardian).
£10.99
Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) Main Character Energy
Book SynopsisTemi Wilkey is an actor & writer from North London. She studied English at Cambridge before training with the National Youth Theatre REP company in 2014. Temi was a member of the Royal Court's Young Writers Group in 2017 and wrote her debut play, The High Table, at the course's culmination. It was produced at the Bush Theatre in Lynette Linton's debut season, and won Temi the Stage Debut Award for Best Writer in 2020. She also co-founded & co-directed the Drag King company, Pecs, performing in the sell-out runs of their shows at venues including Soho Theatre, The Yard & Tate Britain before leaving the company in 2019.Temi wrote an episode of Netflix's Sex Education S3 for which she was nominated for the NAACP award for Outstanding writing in a Comedy Series. She also wrote two episodes for Disney Plus's Wedding Season. Temi is working on her own original projects in the UK and the US. In 2021 she was on the BFI Flare x BAFTA Crew programme mentored by Russell T Davies and was named one of the Forbes 30 under 30.
£10.99
Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) The Problem with the Seventh Year
Book SynopsisNicholas Pierpan's most recent play, The Maddening Rain, had a successful London run before going on a UK tour and to New York City's 2011 Brits Off-Broadway festival. Nicholas has twice won the Cameron Mackintosh Award for New Writing for Too Much the Sun and The Problem with the Seventh Year. Nicholas was also a finalist for the 2009 Yale Drama Prize for Devolution. His short play Bird was recently chosen for The Miniaturists at the Arcola Theatre. Another short piece, Something Came Out, was selected for the 2009 Off Cut Festival. Nicholas won the 2009 BAFTA/Script Factory Serious Screenwriting Award. In 2010, he was chosen by Faber for their screenwriting academy. Nicholas was commissioned by BAFTA-award winning Little Brother Productions to create a six-part television drama about a London school and was also selected for the 2010 BBC Sparks Radio Residency. He has since written an Afternoon Play for BBC Radio4 (Take a Virtual Girl Like You), an episode for BBC Radio7's Man in Black series (The Printed Name) and appeared on BBC Radio3's The Verb (with From a Distant Room). Nicholas has published his poetry in Poetry Review, the Guardian Review, Granta/British Council New Writing, Tower Poetry Review, the Liberal and elsewhere; his first volume is forthcoming. He holds a PhD in English Literature from Oxford University. He lectures on film and reviews fiction for The Times.
£10.99
Austin Macauley Publishers Reflections... in Poetry
£10.79
Austin Macauley Publishers A Miscellany of Musings
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£7.59
Austin Macauley Publishers The Council of Masters
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£8.54
Austin Macauley Publishers Cromulent Cameo
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£9.79
Austin Macauley Publishers Australia A Miracle of Life
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£10.44
Austin Macauley Publishers Franciss Informative Lyrics and Poems
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£10.66
Austin Macauley Publishers A Fantastical Poetry Collection
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£8.54
Orion Publishing Co A Game Called Malice
Book SynopsisA delicious, and somewhat drunken, dinner party segues into a murder mystery game created by the hostess. However, the parlour game may hold clues about the dark truths hiding just under the surface of this genteel gathering...As suspects, clues and red herrings are sifted - it seems one of the guests has an unfair advantage: John Rebus, an ex-detective who used to do this for a living. But is he playing another game, one to which only he knows the rules, that will soon be revealed? As the tension rises, one by one, all their secrets will come out - and there is a shocking discovery that awaits them all...
£17.09
Arcturus Publishing Julius Caesar
Book SynopsisAs the Roman Republic teeters on the brink of collapse, the charismatic general Julius Caesar''s meteoric rise to power sends shockwaves through the city. Yet, his growing influence stirs fear and jealousy among his peers, including the noble Brutus and the cunning Cassius, who conspire to assassinate him in a bid to preserve the ideals of the Republic. A dark tale of absolute power, corruption and betrayal, Julius Caesar was first performed in 1599 and its themes remain hugely resonant today.This edition is based on the First Folio and includes an extensive introduction that examines the origins of the work, the plot and the characters as well as notes on the text, a glossary and a timeline of Shakespeare''s life and work.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Arcturus Shakespeare Editions series brings together many of Shakespeare''s celebrated plays, presented with striking contemporary cover designs. Each edition is based on the First Folio and includes an
£7.59
Orion Publishing Co Sing A Black Girls Song
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£14.70
John Murray Press The Concise The Prophet
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£11.39
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Ravenhill Plays 2
Book SynopsisFive recent hit plays by one of the most talented writers to emerge from the 1990s who made his mark with the seminal Shopping and F***ing.Table of ContentsMother Clap's Molly House; The Cut; Citizenship; Pool (no water); Product
£20.89
Spark The Comedy of Errors
Book SynopsisNo Fear Shakespeare gives you the complete text of The Comedy of Errors on the left-hand page, side-by-side with an easy-to-understand translation on the right.
£7.99
Union Square & Co. Twelfth Night No Fear Shakespeare Deluxe Student
Book SynopsisAge range 14+ Shakespeare everyone can understand - now in new DELUXE editions!
£9.49
Taylor & Francis Ltd Course Notes Constitutional and Administrative
Book SynopsisCourse Notes is designed to help you succeed in your law examinations and assessments. Each guide supports revision of an undergraduate and conversion GDL/CPE law degree module by demonstrating good practice in creating and maintaining ideal notes. Course Notes will support you in actively and effectively learning the material by guiding you through the demands of compiling the information you need. Written by expert lecturers who understand your needs with examination requirements in mind Covers key cases, legislation and principles clearly and concisely so you can recall information confidently Contains easy to use diagrams, definition boxes and work points to help you understand difficult concepts Provides self test opportunities throughout for you to check your understanding Illustrates how to compile the ideal set of revision notes Covers the essential modules of study for undergraduate llb aTable of ContentsChapter 1: Initial Matters Chapter 2: The UK Constitution Chapter 3: Constitutional Conventions Chapter 4: Responsible Government and Accountability Chapter 5: Separation of Powers and Judicial Independence Chapter 6: Parliament and Supremacy Chapter 7: Monarchy and Prerogative Chapter 8: The Rule of Law Chapter 9: The European Union Chapter 10: Judicial Review 1: Introduction and Procedure Chapter 11: Judicial Review 2: Grounds for Judicial Review Chapter 12: The Convention and the Human Rights Act 1998 Chapter 13: Freedom of Expression
£34.19
Pan Macmillan Sentenced to Life
Book SynopsisCollecting poetry written in the years 2011–2014, Sentenced to Life sees Clive James look back over his extraordinarily rich life with a clear-eyed and unflinching honesty.After falling dangerously ill in 2010, Clive James did not expect to live to see this volume published. But live he did, and these poems see James writing with his insight and energy not only undiminished but positively charged by his situation.There is no sense of self-pity in this collection, which includes the internet sensation ‘Japanese Maple’ and which deals openly with regret, death and his own illness,. With a great breadth of subject matter – taking in Hollywood, travel, art and politics – it is his fascination with humanity that shines through. It is, above all, a celebration of life – all that is treasurable and memorable in our time here.Rich in wisdom and sharp of thought, Sentenced to Life represents a career high poiTrade ReviewMany of these poems are an appeal to the heart, and in particular to the heart of his wife. The collection’s defining quality is gallantry and it is this that makes it so moving * Observer *Clive James is courageously fighting his dark future with that most powerful of weapons: poetry. He may lose the battle but his words will linger * Daily Express *
£10.44
Andrews McMeel Publishing Bitter Sweet Love
Book SynopsisBitter Sweet Love is the much-anticipated second collection of internationally best-selling poet Michael Faudet, author of Dirty Pretty Things, a finalist in the 2015 Goodreads Readers Choice Awards.Michael Faudet?s whimsical and often erotic writing has captured the hearts and minds of literally thousands of readers from around the world. He paints vivid pictures with intricate words and explores the compelling themes of love, loss, relationships, and sex. All beautifully captured in poetry, prose, quotes, and little short stories.
£10.79
Andrews McMeel Publishing soft magic
Book SynopsisFrom Malawian storyteller Upile Chisala comes the revised and expanded edition of her debut book of poetry. soft magic is a collection of poetry and prose exploring the self, joy, blackness, gender, matters of the heart, the experience of Diaspora, spirituality, and above all, how we survive. soft magic is a shared healing journey.
£10.79
Little, Brown Book Group Toxicon Arachne
Book Synopsis''The power of McSweeney''s work cannot be separated from its association with forms of oracle and soothsaying, and so it is uncanny that it should arrive in the middle of a global pandemic... Frightening and brilliant'' Dan Chiasson, New YorkerHow does the body gestate grief? How does toxicity birth catastrophe?In the months leading up to her daughter Arachne''s birth, US poet Joyelle McSweeney set out to write a quiver of poems like a quiver of poison arrows: formally and sonically virtuosic, laced with the poet''s obsessive concerns with contamination, decay and the sublime, featuring a crown of ''toxic sonnets'' for the tuberculosis bacterium that killed Keats. But when Arachne was born with an unexpected birth defect, lived briefly and died, the poet was visited by a second welter of poems, odes of love, grief, perplexity and rage. These two books, Toxicon & Arachne, form a double collection of poems weighing love, grief, art aTrade ReviewThe power of McSweeney's work cannot be separated from its association with forms of oracle and soothsaying, and so it is uncanny that it should arrive in the middle of a global pandemic... Frightening and brilliant -- Dan Chiasson * New Yorker *This is a must read in poetry -- Jorie GrahamFormally brilliant, emotionally heartbreaking, and considerably terrifying, this is a stunning work from one of poetry's most versatile experimentalists * Publishers Weekly Starred Review *McSweeney is one of our most dynamic poets of theme, mood, and syntax, and this new paired collection unifies those ranges in a most powerful fashion -- Nick Ropatrazone * The Millions *I've never read anything by Joyelle McSweeney that wasn't totally exciting. She's one of the most interesting people working now in terms of the forms she uses and she's extremely deft, and playful, and yet the stuff that's going on, content-wise, is really super-smart. Thrilling -- Dennis CooperBiological, morbid, fanatic, surreal, McSweeney's impulses are to go to the rhetoric of the maternity mythos by evoking the spooky, sinuous syntaxes of the gothic and the cleverly constructed political allegory -- Carmen Giménez SmithThis necessary, inventive lassoing-in of reality as we are presently experiencing it leaves no one "clean" or in the clear -- Claudia RankineI am in deep awe of the resilience found in these pages, and the enduring strength and clarity these poems expel forth -- Prageeta SharmaJoyelle McSweeney is a poet with a vocation - a calling to the world. What is given her (the vocation) is to make others see what is given her to see -- Allen Grossman
£10.44
Little, Brown Book Group Peach Pig
Book Synopsis''Cecilia Knapp is a great writer. I love her'' KAE TEMPESTIn her devastatingly powerful debut collection, Cecilia Knapp examines the experience of motherlessness and its lasting impact, as well as the lessons passed between generations of women.These poems explore women''s complicated relationship with their bodies, with sex, and with shame as she traverses the violence of romantic love, but also employs humour and mischief, a wry reclaiming of power.We hear stories of a challenging childhood in a seaside town, a girl growing up, getting out and reckoning with the guilt of being ''one of these people now.''The collection also offers a look at Knapp''s close relationship with her older brother, his struggles with addiction and, eventually, his death. With tenderness, she remembers him and unpacks the unique grief that comes after a suicide.Peach Pig is a candid and unflinching look at loss, an attempt to find a language for it. ITrade ReviewCecilia Knapp is a great writer. I love her -- KAE TEMPESTCecilia Knapp is a rare, rare talent. The sort of writer you get excited to have found and then look forward to devouring more of their work -- KERRY HUDSONLove this book - the stunning first collection by Cecilia Knapp. So much to recognise and feel about girlhood, loss, shame, love - expressed with bags of elegance, generosity & power -- Amy AcreThe debut collection by a former young people's laureate for London is arrestingly frank in its exposure of everyday worries and profound melancholy . . . Knapp writes with a light touch even when her heart is heaviest: her mother died when she was seven and her alcoholic brother also died too young. The collection comes into its own in loving and painful poems about him . . . this tormented collection has a saving grace -- Kate Kellaway * Observer ‘Poetry book of the month’ *
£10.44
Little, Brown Book Group The Trees Witness Everything
Book SynopsisA NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF 2022''Impeccable, precise poems, sometimes shocking and strange, but always startling'' Irish TimesA lover of strict form, best-selling poet Victoria Chang turns to compact Japanese waka, powerfully innovating on tradition while continuing her pursuit of one of life''s hardest questions: how to let go.In The Trees Witness Everything, Victoria Chang reinvigorates language by way of concentration, using constraint to illuminate and free the wild interior. Largely composed in various Japanese syllabic forms called ''wakas,'' each poem is shaped by pattern and count. This highly original work innovates inside the lineage of great poets including W.S. Merwin, whose poem titles are repurposed as frames and mirrors for the text, stitching past and present in complex dialogue. Chang depicts the smooth, melancholic isolation of the mind while reaching outward to name - with reverence, economy and whimTrade ReviewIn this brilliant new collection, Chang continues her exploration of memory and mourning. These are impeccable, precise poems, sometimes shocking and strange, but always startling in their ability to excise an utterance from the depths of grief and longing that is both painful and reverent . . . Chang's crystalline, controlled poems seem etched from deep experience, and move hauntingly between the living and the dead . . . their economy lends them both a sharp detail and a hallucinatory potential, traversing a staggering progress of thought and image across a small number of lines -- Sean Hewitt * Irish Times *In this collection, the constraints of the waka, a Japanese syllabic form, yield highly compressed, surreal meditations on time, desire, and the movements of the mind itself. Chang's poems . . . document a practice of sustained observation and imagination. * New Yorker 'BEST BOOKS OF 2022' *Elegant and reflective . . . For those who are grieving and those who have grieved, Chang offers beautiful insights, and a path toward healing * Publisher's Weekly *Some of the most dazzling evocations of the natural world I've encountered * Guardian, Best Poetry Books of the Year 2022 *Sad, elegiac and intensely vivid -- Rishi Dastidar * Big Issue *
£10.44
Little, Brown Book Group New and Collected Hell
Book SynopsisAward winning poet of our times Shane McCrae, 'peer to the peerless' (New York Journal of Books), takes up and turns on its head the mantle of Dante in this contemporary vision of Hell.
£11.69
Headline Publishing Group The Dark Between Stars
Book SynopsisNow a New York Times bestsellerFrom the internationally bestselling author of LOVE HER WILD comes THE DARK BETWEEN STARS, a new illustrated collection of heartfelt, whimsical, and romantic poems from Instagram poetry sensation, Atticus.Atticus has captured the hearts and minds of nearly 700k followers (including stars like Karlie Kloss, Emma Roberts, and Alicia Keys). In his second collection of poetry, The Dark Between Stars, he turns his attention to the dualities of our lived experiences = the inescapable connections between our highest highs and lowest lows. He captures the infectious energy of starting a relationship, the tumultuous realities of commitment, and the agonizing nostalgia of being alone again. While grappling with the question of how to live with purpose and find meaning in the journey, these poems offer both honest explorations of loneliness and our search for connection, as well as light-hearted, humorous observations. As Atti
£15.29
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC In Time O Strife
Book SynopsisThere's nae power on earth can crush the men who can sing on a day like this.A powerful re-imagining of Joe Corrie's neglected classic about a Fife mining community during the General Strike. To raise funds for the soup kitchens feeding the miners and their starving families, Corrie wrote In Time O'' Strife in 1926 whilst on strike himself, exposing the brutal lives of a family staring hunger and defeat in the face. Some 87 years later, Graham McLaren has adapted, designed and directed this rarely performed classic play.Created by Graham McLaren (Men Should Weep, A Christmas Carol), the production uses fragments of Corrie's other plays, poems and songs, celebrating his ability as a writer and his contribution to Scottish culture.This edition pairs Corrie''s original text with the script created by McLaren''s adaptation process.Trade ReviewGraham McLaren has adapted the original text and interwoven fragments of Corrie’s other plays, poems and songs to create a celebration of his oeuvre * Courier *A memorably angry, vivid and theatrical retelling of a vital story in Scottish history . . . It's an exhilarating experience, this In Time O' Strife, and not to be missed. * Scotsman *The meeting of music, dance and drama is frequently exhilarating . . . the production has a rare political anger. * Guardian *Corrie's characters personify the stark dilemma faced by the striking miners . . . an intensely powerful production, though, brilliantly performed by a fine ensemble. * The Times *
£12.88
