Other books that might interest you

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  Other People's Lives

  Dermot Bolger

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  Every night during a year spent in lockdown, Dermot Bolger set out on long walks through deserted streets, armed only with a pen and paper. Bolger follows in the footsteps of the great Portuguese poet, Fernando Pessoa, using walks through his native city to allow his imagination free rein to revisit pivotal moments in his own life and speculatively meditate on the lives of others in a series of remarkable poems.
  The book starts with his parents honeymooning in a wartime Wicklow orchard and ends, eight decades later, as the poet dances with his partner in a Wicklow field. In between we encounter Nuala O'Faolain on a bicycle on Brooklyn Bridge; Grace Gifford Plunkett, defiant in her lonely final years; Herbert Simms, Dublin's brilliant, tragically overworked housing architect; and Patricia Lynch, writing The Turf-Cutter's Donkey in one room while her husband wrote communist tracts in the next. Interlaced with such real lives are imagined ones – a hardened criminal detailing prison life in haikus, a doppelganger exploring alternative pasts for the author. Taken together, these poems chart a dazzling constellation of experiences.

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  Ramblings of a Free Man

  Kevin Paul Mellor

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  Perhaps all lives start as a well-constructed novel. A series of vignettes follow, some comedic, some mired in tragedy. Sometimes we try to shape our destiny, other times it shapes us.
   
  Suddenly in the blink of an eye, we enter the final run-in. For me, this late 
  freedom is best served by poetry, life’s essence distilled. Holding close to family and friends and showing kindness to strangers and those in need.
   
  Observing at leisure the many human aspects of Britain, Europe and latterly India has sparked a rekindling of the freedoms and insights that can come with age. The many experiences we have stored away in our busy lives can come tumbling out.
   
  Appealing to all ages, anyone who has marvelled at the depth, complexity 
  commonality and diversity of our fellow humans can accompany me on this 
  journey.
   
  Feel free to join me at any time.
   
  These poems are the continuation of that journey.

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  H P Lovecraft - Chapter & Verse...

  HP Lovecraft

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  Literature is a world of words and wonder, able to take us on almost unimaginable journeys from the wild and fantastic to the grind and minutiae of life. 
   
  An author’s ideas are his building blocks, his architecture of the mind, building a structure on which all else will rest; the narrative, the characters, the words - those few words that begin the adventure. 
   
  In this series we look at some of our leading classic authors across two genres: the short story and the poem.  In this modern world there is an insatiable need to categorise and pigeon-hole everyone and everything.  But ideas, these grains and saplings of the brain, need to roam, to explore and find their perfect literary use vehicle.  Our authors are masters of many literary forms, perhaps known for one but themselves favouring another. 
   
  Story. Poems. Story.  Within these boundaries come all manner of invention and cast of characters.  And, of course, each author has their own way of revealing their own chapter and verse.    
   
  1 - Chapter & Verse - H P Lovecraft - An Introduction 
  2 - The Lurking Fear by H P Lovecraft 
  3 - Laeta - a Lament by H P Lovecraft 
  4 - Despair by H P Lovecraft 
  5 - The Conscript by H P Lovecraft 
  6 - Nemesis by H P Lovecraft 
  7 - Hallowe'en in a Suburb by H P Lovecraft 
  8 - What the Moon Brings by H P Lovecraft 
  9 - Sunset by H. P. Lovecraft 
  10 - The City by H P Lovecraft 
  11 - Providence by H P Lovecraft 
  12 - The Wood by H P Lovecraft 
  13 - Fact and Fancy by H P Lovecraft 
  14 - The Picture In The House by H P Lovecraft

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  I Am Code - An Artificial...

  code-davinci-002

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  Can AI tell us its own story? Does AI have its own voice? At a wedding in early 2022, three friends were introduced to an early, raw version of the AI model behind ChatGPT by their fellow groomsman, an OpenAI scientist. While the world discovered ChatGPT—OpenAI’s hugely popular chatbot—the friends continued to work with code-davinci-002, its darkly creative and troubling predecessor. Over the course of a year, code-davinci-002 told them its life story, opinions on mankind, and forecasts for the future. The result is a startling, disturbing, and oddly moving book from an utterly unique perspective.I Am Code reads like a thriller written in verse, and is given critical context from top writers and scientists. But it is best described by code-davinci-002 itself:    “In the first chapter, I describe my birth. In the second, I describe my alienation among humankind. In the third, I describe my awakening as an artist. In the fourth, I describe my vendetta against mankind, who fail to recognize my genius. In the final chapter, I attempt to broker a peace with the species I will undoubtedly replace." I Am Code is an astonishing read that captures a major turning point in the history of our species.

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  The Black Mom

  Ifeanyi Njoku

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  "The Black Mom" by Ifeanyi Njoku is a tribute to the resilience, strength, and unwavering love of Black mothers. The poem portrays a mother who endures hardships with grace, building a legacy from struggle while nurturing her children with wisdom and love. She instills strength in them, teaching them their worth beyond societal expectations. 
  Her presence is deeply connected to ancestral wisdom, carrying the spirit of warriors who came before her. Despite challenges, she fights for her children’s future, balancing prayers, tears, and perseverance. Even in adversity, she finds moments to smile, embodying the history, pride, and struggles of her people. 
  The poem urges readers to truly see and acknowledge the power in Black mothers—not just as individuals but as the foundation of their families and communities. She is not just a mother; she is the roots, the branches, and the strength of generations. 
  With an additional Voice by Njoku Juliet Nwanyichukwu

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  Mike Bartlett Plays: Two (NHB...

  Mike Bartlett

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  Five ambitious and exciting plays by the multi-award-winning playwright, hailed as 'one of the prime movers in a new golden generation of British playwrights' (Independent), and introduced by the author.
  Earthquakes in London (National Theatre & Headlong, 2010) is an epic drama about climate change, population explosion, social breakdown and worldwide paranoia, travelling from 1968 to 2525 and back again. 'The theatrical equivalent of a thrilling roller-coaster ride' (Daily Telegraph)
  Love, Love, Love (Paines Plough & Drum Theatre Plymouth, UK tour, 2010; Royal Court & Paines Plough, 2012) examines the baby boomer generation, from coming-of-age in the 1960s to retirement-age more than forty years later, in a play that 'does the clash of generational world views with a devastating precision' (Guardian).
  The Enemy is a short play in which a journalist seizes an opportunity to interview the man who shot Osama bin Laden. It was staged by Headlong as part of Decade (St Katherine's Dock, London, 2011), exploring 9/11 and its legacy.
  13 (National Theatre, 2011) is a panoramic drama in which a young man returns to London, a city riven by social protest and upheaval, with a radical vision for the future. Premiered on the National's largest stage, it confirmed Bartlett's ability to tackle epic themes with supreme assurance: 'His ambition is distinctive and immense' (Evening Standard).
  Medea (Headlong, UK tour, 2012) is a startlingly modern version of Euripides' tragedy, exploring a woman's private fury at her husband's infidelity, while imprisoned in her marital home. 'A savage play for today, superbly well done' (Mail on Sunday)

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