CLASSIFIED FICTION: ‘POSTCARD PERFECTION’ BY HARRISON ABBOTT
Postcard Perfection Harrison Abbott His articles had branched into the erratic before. But his writing had lost all discipline by the final incident. They had to fire him after that, even though all of them were afraid of what he might do next. It all...
CLASSIFIED FICTION: ‘LIFE CLASS’ BY NICK KNIBB
Sit still for a moment. Sit still. Imagine that you are doing this in front of a dozen strangers. Now picture yourself naked. No, don’t flinch; just sit there, composed, still, without breathing excessively, without […]
CLASSIFIED POETRY: ‘PENNY’ BY D.R. JAMES
Penny D.R. James The b & w photo, not posed, is the picture of 50’s innocence: little boy, five, with a butch and sensible shoes, little bow tie, little vest over crisp white shirt. Sitting ‘Indian’ style, he pets his little dog, who no kidding lies...
CLASSIFIED ARTWORK: ‘THE SORCERER’ BY VALENTINE LOUAFI
The Sorcerer Valentine Louafi Defined as a paper lace-maker, Valentine Louafi made papercutting - an ode to minimalism that requires steadiness, patience and an ounce of perfectionnism, as "painting" with a blade doesn't give room to any mistakes...
CLASSIFIED FICTION: ‘OFFICE DRONE’ BY CINDY GEORGE
Office Drone Cindy George It was only a junior temp job in one of the duller arms of the Civil Service, but they made me sign the Official Secrets Act anyway. Everyone had to. Maybe they thought someone might accidentally give me something...
REVIEW: NAFEESA HAMID’S ‘BESHARAM’
Reviewed by Stella Backhouse What intrigues me most about Nafeesa Hamid’s début collection Besharam (One who is shameless) is the innovative way she uses language and imagery to express her conflicted relationship with her body. Innocence was snatched from Hamid in the most brutal way. Abducted from outside her Birmingham home at the age of nine, she was driven around the city in the back of a stranger’s car, subjected to sexual assault and finally dumped on a nearby street hours later. Besharam is, in part, a reflection on the enduring legacy of this shattering event. […]
INTERVIEW: HCE MEETS USAAMA MINHAS
AN INTERVIEW WITH USAAMA MINHAS By Prabhjot Kaur Usaama Minhas is a poet and MC based in London. He started writing in his teens whilst going to school in Boston (Lincolnshire, UK) before leaving to spend a year at an actor training conservatory for...
SPECIAL GUEST REVIEW: BILLY LIAR
SPECIAL GUEST REVIEW: BILLY LIAR This August marks sixty years since the publication of Billy Liar, Keith Waterhouse's much-loved novel of inter-generational strife. Here, guest reviewer Stella Backhouse reassesses the book and asks whether it still has any...
REVIEW: JAMIE THRASIVOULOU’S ‘THE BEST OF A BAD SITUATION’
In his debut collection The Best of a Bad Situation (2017), Derby poet Jamie Thrasivoulou challenges these patronising assumptions, arguing that they are a luxury affordable only to those whose options are not restricted by poverty, inadequate housing, Universal Credit and negative stereotyping. His mission is to expose the parallel logic […]
INTERVIEW: FIRE & DUST MEETS ASH DICKINSON
Ash Dickinson is a multiple slam champion – including Edinburgh, Cheltenham and BBC Radio. He has performed all over the world, and headlined many shows and festivals throughout the UK. The first book ever published by Burning Eye Books was Ash’s debut collection Slinky Espadrilles – they loved it so much, they started a publishing company to get it out there! His second collection, Strange Keys […]