With four well received novels under his belt, and praise from the likes of Ian Rankin and Irvine Welsh, physicist turned-author Doug Johnstone returns with his latest offering Gone Again. A psychological thriller in two distinct halves, the reader is immediately engaged by his/her proximity to the protagonist’s emotions, and drawn further in by a Read More
Rebecca Goss’ second collection, Her Birth, carefully considers the process of grieving the loss of a child. In isolation, each poem can be read as an individual portrait of a sincere maternal sentiment; however, considered as a whole, the collection presents a chronological account of the trauma and subsequent acceptance by a mother who has Read More
Russell Jones has worked hard in recent years to bring the sub-genre of Science-Fiction poetry into the mainstream, culminating in his editing of the 2012 anthology Where Rockets Burn Through, published by Penned in The Margins. This ground-breaking anthology harnessed a diverse range of poets and poetic themes, unified by a fascination with the science Read More
The Purgatory Press/After The End is a book of two parts, which skillfully contributes to the tradition of narrative innovation in the contemporary short story. The first section, “The Purgatory Press”, is a novella made up of fictional entries in the catalogue of a now-defunct publishing house, Purgatory Press. The second half of the work,” Read More
Amidst the dark wood-panelled spaces of the Tower Foyer mezzanine, and amongst the movement of people busily rushing to somewhere else, there is a little dream-like oasis of calm if you care to stop. From here to here is a small retrospective of Saul Roberston’s work, spanning the highly detailed realism of his direct observational Read More
Exploring memory and solitude in a deeply affecting narrative, Miral al-Tahawy delights and engrosses in her latest novel, Brooklyn Heights. Through an examination of the inner world of Hend, a newly-arrived immigrant in New York City, and also the lives and minds of the people she meets as she attempts to adjust to her new Read More
For many, the term “Nordic Noir” has come to describe their Saturday evening television viewing and, indeed, the success of shows such as The Killing, The Bridge, and Wallander, has brought the genre firmly into the public consciousness. However, long before BBC 4 got in on the act, Nordic Noir was being defined and developed Read More
Bernadette Cremin is a British poet, performer and actor. Miming Silence is her third collection and this experience shows in the maturity of her writing. The poet knows what to say, when to hint or suggest, and where to stop and be silent. Divided into six sections of around ten poems, each part opens with Read More
With its star-studded cast, Tracy Lett’s adaptation of his own Pulitzer Prize-winning stage play, August: Osage County, directed by John Wells, can hardly fail to pull in the crowds. Of course, the family feuds, disintegrating marriages, adultery, and addictions which feature so strongly certainly help. Early on in the film, alcoholic poet Bev Weston (Sam Read More
After watching 12 Years a Slave, I felt the way I’d felt after visiting Auschwitz: raw and exposed, and gripped by a keen sadness. It induced in me something like a state of shock. A history long known and its facts long understood, but its implications for humanity suddenly made real. We all learn about Read More