News from Authors

We are pleased to announce that Manzu Islam's Godzilla and the Song Bird has been longlisted for the Diverse Book Awards.

Sponsored by Akan Books, the Diverse Book Awards return for their sixth year, once again highlighting the most inclusive, empowering, and representative books published in the UK and Ireland. This year there were over 250 entries across the categories of Picture Books, Children’s, YA and Adult.

Shortlist revealed: 8 September 2025

On Thursday 12 June 2025, Merle Collins was awarded the Barbara T. Christian Literary Award at the Caribbean Scholars Association's 49th annual conference. Dr. Chenzira Davis Kahina, presented Merle with the award for Ocean Stirrings at the CSA2025 Conference Gala in St Martin in June 2025. The prizes includes a certificate, plaque, cash award, and special Caribbean cultural gift.

Spread the Word presents Mouth Mek Fi Nyam
A series of workshops for over 50s of Caribbean heritage
Register for the workshops online.

Are you aged 50+ and of Caribbean heritage? Do you have stories about food, gardening, migration, or family traditions that you’d love to share?

Alison Donnell is an academic, originally from the United Kingdom. She is currently Professor of Modern Literatures in English and Head of School of Humanities at the University of Bristol.

Look at You, the forthcoming novel by Amanda Smyth, was featured in NetGalley UK's Books of the Month, April 2025.

Advance praise

“Delicate, beautiful, intensely moving. Her best yet.” —Claire Adam

“Through a succession of vignettes that quietly build and blossom and a minimalist prose that masterfully illuminates the inner lives of individuals inhabiting complex worlds, Amanda Smyth has created a marvellous tapestry of a novel.” —Chloe Aridjis

To celebrate John Lyons: Carnivalesque at The Box, Plymouth, The Guardian includes an interview with the poet and artist, and a preview of his artwork. The survey shows from 8 February to 5 May.

Read the article online.

CSLBS Elsa V. Goveia Speaker Series 2024: Caribbean Journeys and Colonial Legacies by Merle Collins 

The UCL Centre for the Study of Legacies of British Slavery held the third instalment in its Speaker Series honouring one of UCL History’s most distinguished graduates, the Guyanese historian Elsa V. Goveia, at UCL on Monday 14 October 2024.

To coincide with the book's one-year anniversary on 21 September, Merle Collins' Ocean Stirrings: A Work of Fiction in Tribute to Louise Langdon Norton Little, Working Mother and Activist, Mother of Malcolm X and Seven Siblings is now available from Audible. Merle is also celebrating the anniversary with a UK tour next month. Don't miss out!

A selection of Poems on the Underground posters featuring poets from Scotland and beyond will be on display at the Scottish Poetry Library during the 2024 Edinburgh Festival. 

The exhibition is free to visit during opening hours and will run until early autumn. 

It includes the poem "By Yourself, Boy" by Nii Ayikwei Parkes. 

Nii also reads the iconic poem "Sumer is Icumen in" (Anon).

Prompt-a-Mania: A day retreat using prompts to produce multiple poems
Date: Saturday 17 August 2024
Time: 10am–4pm BST
Venue: Online
Price: £54.88 + booking fee / £27.80 + booking fee (concessions)
Book now