"Opening a short story anthology, there is often something to delight, something to surprise. There is also often something clever, self-indulgent, that speaks of a writer's skill but limited experience of life. Jacob Ross's careful selection of stories from black British writers restores a sense of connection with the detail of human fragility in our fragmented contemporary culture; with narrative, with the spirit. With the subtle, sometimes unconscious, responses of these writers to what Britishness means.
Inscribe Series Editor, Kadija Sesay and internationally renowned and award winning poet Nii Ayikwei Parkes are looking for submissions for a new anthology of contemporary Black British poetry. The theme they have chosen for this exciting new anthology is ‘Filigree’.
We are delighted to report that Closure, our latest short story anthology from Inscribe has made this influential list. BuzzFeed said:
"A collection of stories from black and minority ethnic British authors, thematically united by unexpected endings. Featuring stories from Monica Ali, Dinesh Angelo Allirajah, Muli Amaye, Lynne E. Blackwood, Judith Bryan, Tariq Mehmood, Karen Onojaife, Leone Ross, Seni Seneviratne, Ayesha Siddiqi, and many others."
Check out the excellent review of Sharon Millar's collection The Whale House and other stories at Dundee University Review of the Arts (DURA):
'The Whale House is a well crafted portrait of a culture that is likely unfamiliar, as well as an exploration of personal and national identity, the uncanny yet familiar, and feminist themes that are forceful without ever being presumptuous. Overall, it is a well-balanced, clever collection which is pleasant to read, in no small part due to Millar’s expert ability to build-up atmosphere.'
We are delighted to report that Minoli Salgado's A Little Dust on the Eyes has been longlisted for the US $50,000 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2016.
by Jocelyn Watson
Thanks to Inscribe and the London Short Story Festival Free Ticket Scheme I was able to attend what was an inspiring and encouraging event with short story writers from all over the world, reading their work, sharing their ideas and skills and debating the role of the short story in literary fiction today.
Inscribe alumni Seni Seneviratne will be appearing at next week's Poetry Pavilion at The London Book Fair.
Organised by Inpress, which supports independent publishers across the UK, the Poetry Pavilion showcases the very best of contemporary poetry.
You'll also be pleased to know that this year is also the first ever Inpress / The London Book Fair Poetry prize, which includes a prize of £20 in book tokens and a bottle of bubbly for the top three entries.
The 2014 winner of the SI Leeds Prize was announced at the Ikley Festival on 15 October. We are ecstatic for Mahsuda Snaith (an Inscribe-supported writer), who took first prize for her novel manuscript, The Constellation of Marianne Ravine Roy.
We are delighted and excited! In October we’ll be celebrating with Inscribe writer Khadijah Ibrahiim the launch of her long-awaited poetry collection, Another Crossing. Khadijah is of Jamaican parentage, born in Leeds. She is a poet, published writer, the Artistic Director of Leeds Young Authors & the Producer of Voices of a New Generation Youth Poetry Slam Festival. Hailed as one of Yorkshire’s ‘most prolific’ poets by BBC Radio.
by Afshan Lodhi
After attending the London Book Fair with Inscribe in April – seeing all the different publishers, writers and writing organisations – I was inspired to write about the one thing every writer wanted to know: how to promote yourself as a writer.
