Search results for ""fly on the wall press""

Four stories of feathers, blood and eggs. A girl chases a different future on the back of a Suzuki 250. A sibling seeks her brother, hoping answers will heal. Inside the walls of her speaking house, a 'kept' wife tries to learn to be content with her identity. A young woman falls in love with a Goose and grows wings. These are journeys fuelled by love, loss and self-discovery, in which characters must fight or take flight. Stories by Helen Kennedy, Katie Hale, Louise Finnigan and Jacqueline Ward.

Read more less

"this is no fairy story but a story of human beings" In Charlie Hill's satirical short story collection, people stare. Behind twitching curtains. Behind the lens of a camera. With an eye reminiscent of Samuel Beckett, Charlie Hill invites you to be privy to strange social experiments, laugh at the pomp of the privileged classes and dwell in space, floating in the introspection of your solitary thoughts. As these stories delve into questions of human nature, you just might recognise yourself...

Read more less

"“I wanted to be close to you. So I went to the forest…” Gardens, relationships and imaginations run wild in Katie Oliver’s debut short fiction collection. The world is unpredictable and no woman is safe. Boundaries are blurred: between fantasy and reality, technology and nature, autonomy and oppression. The threat of violence simmers throughout as women transform into birds, converse with plants and plot their revenge. These dark, surreal tales will put down roots and stay with you long after reading: how close… is too close?"

Read more less

Cracked Asphalt seeks to untangle the strings of guilt Sree Sen found herself wrapped in after her move from Mumbai, India to Dublin, Ireland. What is home, beyond concrete, relationships and postal addresses? Born out of worn-out soles, when Sen went fundraising door-to-door in Dublin, these poems are a personal exploration of fractured identities and the essence of 'home'.

Read more less

Bower seeks to recover the lived experiences of women who have often appeared only fleetingly in official histories. This poetry pushes towards a more expansive understanding of 'motherhood', inclusive of broader urgent issues about gender and our collective responsibilities for lives, environments and natural worlds.

Read more less

A series of personal, curated interviews with the best of the UK's Small Presses. From advice on taking your manuscript to publication, marketing for authors and publishers and a look at contracts, these publishers wish to demystify the publishing process for budding authors, across a wide range of genres.

Read more less

Something strange is happening to the animals on the farm. A pig turns into bacon, chickens grow breadcrumbs instead of feathers, a cow turns to leather, a goat excretes cheese. As food becomes scarce and looming 'pot-bellies' threaten to invade the safety of the sty, Pig knows he must get to the bottom of this phenomenon or face imminent death.

Read more less

When the sciences and the arts begin to work together, a powerful force is created. This anthology was founded upon the belief that words have the power to change. Through poetry, photography and art, creatives across the globe, from the age of 8 to 80, have united to express the urgency of global warming, facing the facts but never losing hope. "A new metaphor is as useful in the climate fight as a new solar panel design. We need poets engaged in this battle, and this volume is proof that in fact they're in the vanguard!" - Bill McKibben, Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College and leader of the anti-carbon campaign group 350.org. An anthology for our time Poetry and Photography Edited by Isabelle Kenyon Foreword by Dr Michelle Cain, Science and Policy Research Associate, Oxford University Featuring Emily Gellard Photography and a commissioned poem by Helen Mort

Read more less

"I had read enough mystery stories to know that girls who went out to meet strangers at night never came to a good end..." Stirling, 1877. Lillias Gilfillan, a recently orphaned girl of sixteen, falls in love and elopes with a man who sees her as wealthy and naive: 'a little boat without its oars'. In a sea of rising debt and deception, Lillias must learn quickly, or drown. Glasgow, 1894. Clementina knows little mercy living in a home for 'wayward girls'. With the 'Jingling Devil' always lurking in the shadows and a child growing inside her, can she outrun him and save her best friend in the process? Glasgow, 1919. Mabel is one of the first policewomen in Glasgow, on a mission to find a murderer. In doing so, she finds a web of corruption and now the 'Jingling Devil' wants her dead. 'The Unpicking' spans three generations of 'hysterical women' who take on systemic corruption and injustice, despite all odds.

Read more less

A Jewish woman has been having unnatural thoughts about the softness of another woman's skin. A feminist arranges to meet her online troll. A woman worries, under her duvet, whether she should sit content in a marriage that has turned comfortable...that is, until she falls in love with a tree... Short stories of midnight musings, of women itching to be heard and of delightful insanities.

Read more less

At dusk in a scented garden, a refugee names moths. The dying Miss Bethan asks Sofia to do a terrible thing. Something a mother should never ask. THE NAMING OF MOTHS features stories of magical realism, myths and legends re-imagined, where all the characters are undergoing transformation or facing a pivotal moment of change in their lives. People and animals interchange their shapes. Story landscapes flit from fairy-tale woods to urban homes. Here love, hope and kindness weave between the realities of man's endless talent for cruelty.

Read more less

Faith-healer Amber is hopeful about Lehi, the safe Mormon town to which she, her new husband and two kids have just moved. But after the sudden death of her daughter, Amber discovers the community will do anything to keep its secrets. When nothing feels certain anymore, will Amber take a leap of faith, for love?

Read more less

What if I told you that sleep was just a habit? What if the third of your life you spend asleep, you could be awake instead? Grafton is a single dad who works in local radio, but he's always dreamt of being a 'real' journalist. When he gets a whiff of a story - a Scottish commune whose residents believe that sleep is a social construct - he decides to investigate... something tells him 'the Sleepless' might finally provide answers about his wife, Liz, who abandoned him and their son Isaac for a similar cult in India. As Grafton is drawn deeper into the extreme world of the Sleepless, Liz reappears, and Grafton has to race to save both himself and his son...

Read more less

Tyranny is in the air in the city of Finer Bay, and Professor Wendowleen Cripcot would like to be left alone, thank you very much. The memories of the last one hundred years are quite enough to be getting on with, if only these young upstarts from the government body, The Finery, would stop trying to control her every move. With the eyes of a dictator upon her, there are not many places to hide...but Wendowleen has never been one to back down from a fight (just ask her pet wolf), and insurrection is brewing underground.

Read more less

Of Myths and Mothers by Kenzie Millar, Gaynor Jones, Sascha Akhtar, Clayton Lister and Helen Nathaniel-Fulton; Folklore and futurism: these stories question everything from the guest worker economy to childbirth as the world collapses. Follow hairpin turns into the remote hillsides of North Yorkshire, where two boys take a holiday with their besom-wielding, rabbit-skinning granny. Disappear into dark caves on Philippine islands and scale sheer limestone cliffs with men who search for the world's most expensive animal product: prized nests woven from a mysterious bird's saliva, rumoured to make one live forever. Feel sand under your feet in the middle of the night as you search for love beyond limits. You will long to hold a child, even when that instinct has been erased from your body and mind. Of Myths and Mothers will make you see some of our most accepted customs in a new light and fill you with wonder, as the best stories do.

Read more less

Scottish poet Morag Anderson explores relationships and the damage people can do to each other in her debut chapbook: concealed violence, love and everything in between.

Read more less

On a family holiday to her dad's Irish homeland, Eve's concerns about impressing local boy Liam are confronted by the stark reality of political and personal divisions during the Troubles. Former friends have turned into enemies, and this country of childhood memory is suddenly a lot less welcoming.

Read more less

‘In Odd as F*ck, Anne Walsh Donnelly recounts one woman’s journey through pain and growth. The poems are poignant, stark, and beautiful, heavy with unanswered questions, but buoyed up by levity. This is potent work.’ - Nuala O’Connor, author of The Juno Charm

Read more less

"In one of the poems in this chapbook, Ricky Ray writes "living takes time, and I want you / to stay with me." It's just one tender, honest moment in this collection of deep, effervescent tenderness. Throughout The Sound of the Earth Singing to Herself, Ricky's poems ask the world to stay just a little longer. They admit, with grace, what they don't understand. They offer thanks. But what they do most singularly is care. Ricky's poems care about life, love, dogs, birds, gentleness, unknowing, wonder, and more. Poetry is a kind of witness, and each poem in this chapbook bears such gentle witness to this world, a world that sings and kills and births, all at once. They, as one poem states, "sneak a peak" even when the world's "too tender" to watch. What to do when the world is not enough? Read Ricky's poems. What to do when the yearning feels unbearable? Read Ricky's poems. What to do when you want to heal, even when healing feels impossible? Read Ricky's poems. To read this book is to learn, just a little bit better, how to live." -Devin Kelly, author of In This Quiet Church of Night, I Say Amen (Civil Coping Mechanisms, 2017) and Blood on Blood (Unknown Press, 2016)

Read more less

In her second chapbook, *And I Will Make of You a Vowel Sound*, Morag Anderson places centre stage an unlikely cast of neglected, exploited, and unsung characters. As 2023 Makar of the Federation of Writers (Scotland) and Poet in Residence at the 2023 Birnam Book Festival, Anderson is an acclaimed poet and performer.

Read more less

Straight-laced and content with the comforts of his home on politically-neutral Neo-Yuthea, Albert Smith leads a quiet and unremarkable life. His days are filled with sipping tea with his beloved wife and tending to his cherished garden-a picture of tranquillity in an otherwise chaotic universe. Little does he know that destiny has extraordinary plans in store for him. When Mr. Zand, an agent of extra-terrestrial chaos, launches his mayoral campaign, the once peaceful colony faces uncertain and unsettling times. Striking deaths attributed to mysterious forest creatures, forced arranged marriages, and a looming threat of suppressing secret garden meetings propel the community toward the edge of turmoil. In the face of this encroaching darkness, Albert and his neighbours must band together to resist oppression and fight for their freedom before their world collapses.

Read more less

"There was a time when I was not the Dictator's Wife though I'm not supposed to talk about it." The Dictator's Wife confides this in you: her husband has blind spots. Any day now, he may be overthrown. And what of love? It is paling her, until she fears her own transparency. Who is this father of her children, this man who does not smile? Through the eyes of the dictator's wife, Aryamati Prize winner Katrina Dybzynska paints a world of mystery and intrigue, where the lines between loyalty and betrayal are blurred, and the true nature of power is constantly called into question.

Read more less

Twenty-nine international creatives raise their pens, celebrating the power of protest. In the face of historical and current injustice, 'Demos Rising' elevates the collective voice of the people, striving for democracy and freedom of speech for all. 5% of profits go to Amnesty International. Poetry, stories and artwork: a powerful and poignant tribute to the pressing issues of our time from people that dare to strive for a better world.

Read more less

A series of personal, curated interviews with internationally-acclaimed literary editors. This book is the chance to widen your horizons as a writer, discovering new and established literary journals across the world. Sit down with these experienced editors to find out what they really want from a submission, and allow them to demystify the publishing process, across a wide range of genres.; "Accessible and informative, In Conversation with... Literary Journals is an essential tool for emerging and established writers, publishing their work across all genres. Make space for it on your bookshelf." - Dr Jenna Clake, Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at Teesside University

Read more less

When the sciences and the arts begin to work together, a powerful force is created. This anthology was founded upon the belief that words have the power to change. Through poetry, photography and art, creatives across the globe, from the age of 8 to 80, have united to express the urgency of global warming, facing the facts but never losing hope. "A new metaphor is as useful in the climate fight as a new solar panel design. We need poets engaged in this battle, and this volume is proof that in fact they're in the vanguard!" - Bill McKibben, Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College and leader of the anti-carbon campaign group 350.org. An anthology for our time Poetry and Photography Edited by Isabelle Kenyon Foreword by Dr Michelle Cain, Science and Policy Research Associate, Oxford University Featuring Emily Gellard Photography and a commissioned poem by Helen Mort Hardback. 128 pages. Photography, Art and Poetry. Book guarantee: printed on FSC certified paper and posted using recycled packaging/carbon neutral packaging. 20% of the profits from this book will be donated to The Climate Coalition and WWF.

Read more less

FROM THE AUTHOR OF 'BRICK MOTHER' AND 'GUEST'COMES A MOVING SHORT STORY DEBUT. From futuristic colonies to drab estates, SJ Bradley's inventive stories showcase remarkable range. With lyrical prose and psychological depth, Bradley illuminates the quiet heroism pulsing through seemingly ordinary lives. Beleaguered, yet resourceful social workers battle towering workloads; a harassed elderly childminder collapses under the strain; a victim of domestic abuse strikes out for freedom and disgruntled workers in dead-end jobs dream of a brighter future. These vividly rendered tales trace hard-won solace through small acts of courage, exploring grief, ambition, and belonging. Maps of Imaginary Towns celebrates the resilience of the human spirit.

Read more less

Imperfect Beginnings lays its poems out to rest on uncertain terrain. Visa paperwork deadlines hang in the air. New-borns, torn too early from their mother's breast, learn to adapt to harsh guardianship. Belonging and exile are mirrored in the stories of having to leave one's birthmother-or motherland. From narrative poems such as 'My Father Sold Cigarettes To The Nazis', Fogel takes us on a journey throughout history, spanning ancestry, wartime, adoption and peacetime, as life settles. Family, work, love and the natural world provide purpose, meaning and a sense of coming 'home'.

Read more less

Climacteric noun 1. a critical period or event. "the first major climacteric in twenty-first-century poetry" 2. MEDICINE the period of life when fertility is in decline; (in women) menopause. "most women do not experience significant psychological problems at the climacteric" "our hair is coming out in clumps; we are sweeping it from corners, from beneath the bed, gathering it into our sleepless nest" How can we love ourselves at the climacteric of our lives; of the planet? Jo Bratten's debut poetry chapbook bubbles with anger and guilt at the failures of both spirit and body and a coming to terms with loss, for the natural passing of loved ones, and the unnatural passing of our planet's ecosystems. These poems offer solace: you are not alone - "In the fractured dark we're all doomscrolling/before dawn, lit up like Caravaggios." They offer the simplest kind of love: the joy that can be found within nature.

Read more less

Set in contemporary India, Sangeeta Mulay's unforgettable debut novel is a compelling story of four unforgettable characters: Aparna - a courageous campaigner of rationality and freedom of expression. Will the patriarchal grip of a Hindu nationalist government and a religious society manage to silence her? Hari - the passionate founder of a religious organisation. As Hari becomes a rising star for the local Hindu right-wing, will he lose himself? Naseem - Aparna's wise daughter who is discovering her sexuality. Will she have the strength to stand up for her mother against societal stigma? Kashi - Hari's daughter who is in love with science and...girls? Confused about her sexuality, will she be able to lead life on her own terms? Confronting issues of religion, bigotry, sex and politics, DISOBEDIENT WOMEN tells the interwoven stories of two families and their battle of ideologies. A novel of the choices women make under pressure, where to be disobedient is the only option that offers change.

Read more less

Written during the three years Matt Broomfield spent living and working in the autonomous, Kurdish-led region of Syria known as Rojava, these poems paint a unique picture of the revolution there, from the inside out. From Broomfield's own place in the revolution as an 'internationalist' volunteer, to the future of the region in the face of war, this collection raises serious questions and seeks to capture of the energy of Rojava, so often overlooked by the primary-coloured propaganda and grey criticism of our media. "The revolution is living, ugly, beautiful, writhing, self-contradictory, hopelessly compromised, and utterly worth fighting for."

Read more less

Delve into a world of change and reinvention. Where relationships are as delicate as turtle eggs, and just as easily smashed. This poignant short story collection explores the pivotal moments that transform our lives. Jenny, whose life is defined by small disasters, discovers a bigger, more generous version of herself. A traveller girl might just win her race and alter her life's course. A widow, cut off in a riverside backwater, opens her heart to a stranger. In this captivating collection by award-winning writer, Alice Fowler, readers will be moved by the raw vulnerability of human connection, and the resilience that allows us to grow and thrive in the face of hardship. In change, Fowler's characters find the ability to be truly free.

Read more less

Through visceral and vulnerable poetry, Ricky Ray meditates on the pain and powerlessness that comes with an awareness of our mortality. Finding joy through connecting with the natural world, Ricky navigates his ache of living, allowing us to accompany him and his beloved service dog, Addie.

Read more less

Julian Bishop raises 'an army of stubborn weeds' in this dark but sometimes humorous Ecopoetry collection. From the bowels of Whitechapel in London, to the intricacies of jellyfish, Bishop brings to life the most important fight known to man: climate change, documenting the changes to our planet and the attitudes of humanity across the globe towards it. An emotive and darkly comic full collection of ecopoetry from a former Environment Reporter for BBC Wales.

Read more less

"I am the exposition lady; in soft focus I undress while listening to Max Richter on vinyl; I eat a pastry in my underwear; I stretch, pull back the curtains; I am carefree; a perfume advert; a vaseline lens to a teenage dream;" In this chapbook, Helen Bowie composes a love letter to the poorly-scribbled female characters of Hollywood and beyond, who exist solely to move the plot along. These witty poems navigate the eco-systems that women navigate. They ask us to think: what do the roles we see on stage and screen tell us about the roles expected of women in society?"

Read more less

Dal Kular is a Sheffield born and based writer of Punjabi/Sikh heritage. She is a facilitator, tutor and mentor specialising in creative writing arts for healing. (un)interrupted tongues unfolds Kular's creative journey and life as a working-class woman of colour. Written and created intuitively, Kular seeks to unravel the past, in order to understand the present and to heal. Here, unbelonging is power. These poems are love letters to the reader, to never give up on creative dreams.

Read more less

"requite (verb): to return love and affection or, on the other side of the coin, to retaliate for injuries inflicted. MALTA 1941. Eleven-year-old Joe Zarb's life is about to change. The war has created a rubble-strewn, dogfight-watching, soldier-saluting adventure, until a telegram arrives with news of his papa, Victor, that will shatter everything. Twenty years later, with Malta seeking independence from the British Empire, a nurse and a former RAF pilot travel to the island. Beth is looking for Joe, the son of her wartime husband, Victor. Her companion, Stuart, is seeking revenge for the horrific burns he suffered in the war. When they find Joe and a man purporting to be his papa, a chain of events is set in motion that sheds new light on what happened two decades before... Praise for 'Man At Sea': "Intimate and expansive, this tantalising thriller pulses with mysteries, secrets, and surprises. Man at Sea is both timely and historical, at once rich in implication and action. Like the sea itself the story is swift, deep, exhilarating, and ultimately unpredictable." - Kevin MacNeil, Award-winning novelist and Lecturer in Creative Writing, University of Stirling"

Read more less

"Warriors won the Aryamati poetry prize in 2021. The selected poems are a brave testimony to Sundra Lawrence's linguistic ambitions. The pamphlet spans a thirty-year history, against the shadow of the Sri Lankan civil war, told from the voices of first and second generation British Tamils. We are privy to a poetic sensibility that seamlessly interweaves themes of migration and conflict with empathy and a deftness of touch. Lawrence peels back layers of cultural identities, shifting through zones of language; forging new identities in found locations; to saving "the seconds/ that slip into the soil" of early motherhood, to "100,000 books burning to black pollen" to "love in a two-star hotel off the Harrow Road". This collection holds a candle to the dark, brimming with courageous and complex love. "

Read more less

In these dark, witty short stories, Katy Wimhurst creates off-kilter worlds which illuminate our own. Here, knitting might cancel Armageddon. A winged being yearns to be an archaeologist. Readers are sucked in a post-apocalyptic London where the different rains are named after former politicians. An enchanted garden grows in a rented flat. Magical realism meets dystopia, with a refreshing twist. 'An iridescent, compelling collection. Darkly magical in all the right ways.' - Irenosen Okojie, author of Nudibranch and Speak Gigantular

Read more less

A unique collection of interviews with contemporary poets at the height of their craft. How does a subconscious thought become an award-winning poem? Journalist, Rosanna McGlone, speaks to some of the country's leading poets to find out. Don Paterson, Sean O'Brien, Gillian Clarke, and many more, explore the development of a single poem from rough notes to a final version to provide invaluable insights for writers and poetry enthusiasts alike.

Read more less