I have a box of memories. It’s a square brown box – one of those used for moving to a new house, ‘memories’ scrawled on one side in black ink. For years it moved with me and my partner from flat to flat, accumulating a little more in weight each year as we collected little Read More
I am ravaged by a fever that incapacitates me for days. Every part of my body aches and my mind is occupied only with the sensation of intense discomfort and the wish for relief. I feel as though broken glass has settled inside my chest. Every inhalation agitates it into a cloud that stabs my Read More
Songs drift from open windows: the radio, someone washing dishes, a tv, voices—more of an insight into people’s lives than the silent aquarium of closed glass. In Merrie Joy William’s collection, these open windows lead to childhood memories, romantic discovery, loss, life, faith and more. Her view into the past is never overly sentimental, but full Read More
The sober aubergine cover of the latest issue of Gutter is distinct from the magazine’s customary vibrant jackets. In collaboration with guest editors Alycia Pirmohamed and Jay G Ying, Gutter makes a stand against tokenisation in this celebration of Black Asian and Minority Ethnic writers from Scotland and across the world. Exploring the multi-faceted aspects Read More
It is not hard to spot Joelle Taylor across a busy theatre foyer. The tall blonde quiff gives her away, but as I approach, I notice an open confidence that suggests performance poet too. I meet her on the penultimate day of the StAnza poetry festival, less than a fortnight before such gatherings become a Read More
Scottish poet Gordon Meade releases his tenth collection of poetry with an approach towards awareness. He forms lines to accompany the stills taken by Canadian photographer Jo-Anne McArthur. The photos are a peek into another point of view, and Meade puts a face—and a name—to the images, breathing life into a moment captured in time. Read More
As the lockdown continues, the National Theatre is screening another gem from its history, as part of its National Theatre at Home fundraising campaign. This time, the play being shown is Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, directed by Simon Godwin. With Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okonedo in the titular roles and in a modernised setting, this Read More
February 2011 saw the premiere at The Royal National Theatre in London of Frankenstein, written by Nick Dear and directed by Danny Boyle. The play proved a masterful adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel, capturing both the horror and above all the tragedy at the heart of the story. Since then, recordings of this production Read More
I am thrilled to present an online collection of writing and art as the first instalment of These Windows, a collaborative publishing project between the University of Dundee and the V&A Dundee. The online gallery, gathered here on DURA, pairs with a forthcoming printed publication to showcase the creative dexterity of DJCAD Illustration BDes Read More
From These Windows: Online Collection – a selection of writing and art inspired by the collections of the V&A Museums. She would usually phone me on her break and tell me to wait outside her boyfriend’s flat after five o’clock. We’ll get food, she would say, and watch movies. We were best friends. One time, Read More