Other books that might interest you

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  Born With Teeth

  Liz Duffy Adams

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  '"O, Jesus bless us, he is born with teeth!"
  
  And so was I, which plainly signified
  
  That I should snarl and bite, play the dog.'
  Henry VI, Part 3
  Christopher Marlowe – rockstar of Elizabethan theatre and notorious spy for the Crown – danger and seduction combined. William Shakespeare – jobbing actor and promising young playwright – dazzled by Marlowe, but with ambitions of his own.
  When the pair meet in the backroom of a pub to collaborate on a cycle of history plays, tensions rise as they navigate the perils of art under an oppressive regime, and flirt like young men with everything to lose…
  An explosively entertaining duel of wits, words and powerplay, Liz Duffy Adams's Born With Teeth is a playful and daring imagining of the relationship between two literary icons. The play was first performed in Houston, Texas, in 2022, where it won several major awards. In 2025, it received its European premiere at Wyndham's Theatre in London's West End, produced by Playful Productions, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Grain of Sand Productions, directed by RSC Co-Artistic Director Daniel Evans, and starring Ncuti Gatwa as Kit and Edward Bluemel as Will.

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  Five Years with the White Man

  Eloka Obi, Saul Boyer

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  A startling account of satirist ABC Merriman-Labor – the greatest Black Briton ever to have been forgotten – whose dreams of becoming the greatest writer of his generation lead him on a defiant journey from Sierra Leone to Edwardian London.
  Eloka Obi and Saul Boyer's play Five Years with the White Man features a kaleidoscope of characters and was premiered at VAULT Festival, London, in 2023.

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  Maria Stuart

  Friedrich Schiller

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  Maria Stuart by Friedrich Schiller is a gripping historical drama that explores power, rivalry, and the tragic fate of two queens whose lives are bound by politics, ambition, and destiny. Set in 16th-century England, the play centers on the dramatic conflict between Mary, Queen of Scots, and her cousin and rival Queen Elizabeth I of England—two powerful women caught in a dangerous struggle for authority, legitimacy, and survival. 👑
  
  Imprisoned in England after being forced to abdicate the Scottish throne, Mary Stuart becomes the focus of political intrigue and religious tension. Many see her as the rightful heir to the English throne, making her a constant threat to Elizabeth's rule. While Mary hopes for justice and freedom, Elizabeth wrestles with the immense pressure of leadership, the fear of rebellion, and the difficult decision of whether to execute a fellow monarch.
  
  Through intense dialogue and powerful character portrayals, Schiller examines the psychological and moral conflict between these two queens. Mary represents dignity, passion, and tragic nobility, while Elizabeth embodies political caution, authority, and the burdens of power. Their legendary confrontation—one of the most dramatic moments in theatrical literature—captures the emotional and political stakes of a rivalry that would shape history.
  
  Rich in tension, political intrigue, and human drama, Maria Stuart reflects Schiller's masterful ability to blend historical events with profound philosophical insight. The play explores timeless themes such as justice, mercy, loyalty, ambition, and the heavy cost of political power.
  
  Recognized as one of the greatest works of German classical drama, Maria Stuart remains a compelling exploration of leadership, morality, and fate. 📖 Through its unforgettable characters and powerful storytelling, Schiller's tragedy continues to captivate readers and audiences, offering a profound reflection on the human struggle between duty and conscience.

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  Pochsy IV: Unplugged

  Karen Hines

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  Mercury-addled and fabulously flighty, Pochsy is back with a new monologue! 
  Sweet, vapid, and venomous, Pochsy is an endearingly charming embodiment of all that’s gone bats in the world. She used to work at Mercury Packers. Where she packed mercury. Now her employer has moved offshore and Pochsy must grapple with God’s broken promise of a five-star future. This is a night sea journey on an unnaturally sparkling river. Harrowing and high speed, Pochsy IV unboxes precarity, consumer obsessions, the future of humankind ... and whatever else might keep you up at night. 
  Combining magical realism, satire, and horror, this monologue follows the acclaimed trilogy The Pochsy Plays, which have travelled internationally and been a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award, among other citations. Pochsy IV: because what the world needs right now is a little more Pochsy.

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  Octaves - Poem from a Pulitzer...

  Edward Arlington Robinson

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  Edwin Arlington Robinson was born on the 22nd December 1869 in Tide in Lincoln County, Maine.  
  His childhood was described by him as ‘stark and unhappy’.  His name was drawn out of a hat from a fellow vacationer from Arlington Massachusetts when fellow holiday makers decided that his parents had waited long enough at 6 months to name him.  It was a name he despised and reflects the station to which his parents had placed him; their great hope at his birth were that he was a girl to complement their two sons. 
  His pessimistic mood carried him to adulthood and a doomed encounter with Emma Loehen Shepherd who constantly encouraged his poetry.  Edwin was thought too young to be her companion and so his elder, middle brother, Herman was assigned to her.  It was a great blow to Edwin and during their marriage on February 12th, 1890, he stayed home and wrote ‘Cortege’ 
  In the fall of 1891 Edwin entered Harvard, taking classes in English, French and Shakespeare.  He felt at ease with the Ivy League and made great efforts to be published in one of the Harvard literary journals.  Indeed, the Harvard Advocate published ‘Ballade of a Ship’ but then his career appeared to stall.  His father died and although he returned to Harvard for a second year it was to be his last but also the start of some life-long friendships. 
  In 1893 he returned to Gardiner Maine as the man of the household.  Herman by this time had become an alcoholic, having suffered business failures, and was now to become estranged from Emma. 
  Edwin began farming whilst he wrote and quickly developed a close relationship with Emma who had now moved back to Gardiner after Herman’s death with her children. 
  Although he proposed twice, he was rejected and in consequence moved to New York to start afresh. 
  But it was a salutary experience. Although surrounded by artists he had little money and life was difficult. 
  In 1896 he published his own book, ‘The Torrent and the Night Before’, paying 100 dollars for 500 copies.  Edwin wanted it to be a surprise for his Mother, but days before its arrival she died of diphtheria. 
  His second volume, ‘The Children of the Night’, had a wider circulation.  At the behest of President Roosevelt, whose son was an avid admirer, he was given a job in 1905 at the New York Customs Office although it appears his real job was “to help American letters”. 
  Either way his success began to widen and his influence proper.  During the 1920s he won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry on three separate occasions. In 1922 for ‘Collected Poems’ again in 1925 for ‘The Man Who Died Twice’ and finally in 1928 for ‘Tristram’. 
  During the last twenty years of his life he became a regular summer resident at the MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire, where he became the object of fascination by several women.  But he never married. 
  Edwin Arlington Robinson died of cancer on the 6th April 1935 in the New York Hospital in New York. He was 65.

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  Moonlight Sarabande - The Poetry...

  Rachel Lawson

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  poetry of the night by poet author Rachel Lawson

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