Editorial: Nick Hern Books
A play exploring the impact of colonialism through a meeting between Frederick Douglass, the escaped slave and abolitionist who visited Ireland in the 1840s, and a young Irishwoman hoping to emigrate to the country he's running from. Deirdre Kinahan's short play Wild Notes was first staged by Solas Nua in Washington D.C. in 2018.
'You think the world owes you something and it doesn't. You don't inherit your chance, you earn it. And I'm earning it. I take my shots, and it's not our fault you keep missing yours.' T is the new summer hire at Cafarelli & Sons, an iconic New York butcher, but life in a messy cutting room isn't glamorous. She quickly discovers that no-nonsense boss Paula is fighting to hold her struggling business together. When the season ends, someone's for the chop. With the American Dream of a better life hanging in the balance, JD and Billy find themselves pitted against each other, each determined to secure their future. Around them, David and T are drawn into shifting alliances and fractured loyalties. But how far will they go to survive? The Meat Kings! (Inc.) of Brooklyn Heights carves into the dark underbelly of America's anti-immigration policies and the brutal sacrifices that drive the pursuit of prosperity. Winner of the 2024 Papatango New Writing Prize from a record-breaking 1,589 submissions, Hannah Doran's searing play was first performed at Park Theatre, London, in 2025, directed by Papatango's Artistic Director George Turvey. Previous Prize discoveries have won Olivier, Critics' Circle and OffWestEnd Awards and received productions in thirty-three countries.Ver libro
"Midway upon the journey of our life, I found myself within a forest dark, for the straightforward pathway had been lost." Embark on the ultimate pilgrimage of the human soul. Written while in exile, Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy is a towering achievement of world literature, a three-part journey that explores the totality of human experience, sin, and redemption. Guided by the Roman poet Virgil and the idealized Beatrice, Dante travels through the three realms of the afterlife in a quest to understand the justice and love of the divine. The Architecture of Justice: In Inferno, witness the meticulous "contrapasso"—the symbolic retribution where the punishment fits the crime. From the lustful swept by eternal storms to the treacherous encased in ice, Dante's vision of Hell is as terrifying as it is intellectually profound. The Path to Enlightenment: Ascend through Purgatorio, a realm of hope and effort, where the weight of worldly sin is slowly washed away. Finally, soar into Paradiso, where Dante transcends the physical world to explore the celestial spheres of heaven. Here, the poem transforms into a breathtaking work of light, geometry, and philosophical wonder, culminating in a vision of the "Love that moves the sun and the other stars." A Universal Masterpiece: The Divine Comedy is more than a religious text; it is a political satire, a romantic tribute, and a scientific encyclopedia of medieval thought. It remains the definitive map of the human conscience and one of the most beautiful poems ever composed. Walk the path of the soul. Purchase "The Divine Comedy" today and experience the height of the Western imagination.Ver libro
“The speaker in Shelley Puhak’s Harbinger is no closer to knowing herself than I am, than we are, which is why we trust her. Each similarly titled poem holds a triptych mirror up to the artist and, in so doing, up to us all, so we may better see ourselves as we are. In ever-changing form.” —Nicole Sealey A stunning meditation on artistic creation and historical memory from the winner of the National Poetry Series, chosen by Nicole Sealey From “Portrait of the artist, gaslit” to “Portrait of the artist’s ancestors” to “Portrait of the artist reading a newspaper,” the poems in Harbinger reflect the many facets of the artistic self as well as the myriad influences and experiences that contribute to that identity. “Portrait of the artist as a young man” has long been the default position, but these poems carve out a different vantage point. Seen through the lens of motherhood, of working as a waitress, of watching election results come in, or of simply sitting in a waiting room, making art—and making an artist—is a process wherein historical events collide with lived experience, both deeply personal but also unfailingly political. When we make art, for what (and to whom) are we accountable? And what does art-making demand of us, especially as apocalypse looms? With its surprising insights, Harbinger, the latest book from acclaimed poet Shelley Puhak, shows us the reality of the constantly evolving and unstable self, a portrait of the artist as fragmentary, impressionable, and always in flux.Ver libro
This is a mixture of other short stories and poems , dark, romantic and light themed read by the author and the Mortal Coil players Good quotes from Stand and Deliver: In The Moonlight- "Stand and deliver, your money or your life!" shouted the highwayman. "I hear that you met a real highwayman the other day I wish I had been with you. They are so thrilling and romantic!" "Hand over your loot! Either give it to me now or I will take it from your body!" Terrence the Terror said. "I said give it back, Terry!" said Sir Justin. "Tom your friend is a nut!" Mary said. "What did he do murder the driver so he could drive the coach?" asked Sir Thomas. "I bailed up the Terror and took your sister's stuff back as she was under my care!" said Sir Justin. "New to this are you lad!" said one of them. "Terry I think you killed him!" said one of the others he was the black-clad highwayman named the Ghost for his sudden appearances and disappearances. "I just found her here, I was on my way to see you." "I have never seen anything so beautiful! I could forget everything and live in this moment forever"Ver libro
“One of Singapore’s most visible poets, Pang grows with each book. In his poems we hear a voice unhurried, confident, and capable of carrying diverse humors, and read a rhetoric shaded to ironies, surprising us with glimpses of contemporary experience that affirm yet mock, celebrate and unsettle. His poetry adds a rich and complex presence to the critical mass of urban literature now fully emergent from Singapore. His poems, at once recognizably national and international in reach, offer a fresh edgy energy to this tradition.” - Professor Shirley Geok-lin Lim, Winner of the Commonwealth Poetry Prize, 1992 and author of Joss and GoldVer libro
Gavi wants to inspire his community. Which is tricky when everyone wants to just stay at home and watch Bake Off. But, determined to succeed, he starts hosting amateur motivational meetings from his garage. With the help of daily mantras, goal-setting and repeatedly listening to Spandau Ballet, he believes he can change lives for the better. However, when the only attendees are his two colleagues from the Co-op – bickering mother and daughter Dawn and Jen – it's not quite the enlightening experience they were all hoping for. Katie Redford's play Tapped is a witty and sensitive portrayal of managing mental health within a family, highlighting the barriers we put up in order to put on a brave face. It was first performed at Theatre503, London, in April 2022. 'A play with a sweet, romantic centre... raises urgent questions about mental health... the characters tug at our heartstrings' - Guardian 'A likeable big-hearted new seriocomedy' - The TimesVer libro
