Comma Press🍉 #CeasefireNow
@commapress
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Award-winning publisher of short fiction from the UK & beyond. Championing the next generation of writers & translators. Retweets do not equal endorsements.
Joined April 2009
SOLOLAND by Hassan Blasim publishes tomorrow! 📚🥳. This 3-novella collection from 'the most important writer of Arabic fiction alive' journeys from Isis-occupied Mosul to Scandinavia as it explores the devastating dislocation of exile. 📕Order now
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Today they killed our dear friend Refaat. The kindest, gentlest, most gracious teacher, editor, writer, mentor, friend you could ever meet. He was like a father to the writing community in G. Live by the pen, die by the pen. He did both. Murdered for his words. We are heartbroken
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The first ever anthology of science fiction from Iraq, with the man himself, its editor!
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The first ever anthology of science fiction from Palestine, with the woman herself, its editor!
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In relation to the cancelation of the forthcoming 'Voices of Resilience' event at Home, and the libelous allegation that led to it, Comma has made its statement here: .
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Yours sincerely, The Northern Fiction Alliance 📫
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'If I Must Die' by Refaat Alareer 🪁.Read by the incredible Eric Cantona. Refaat was killed in a targeted attack last year, fitting a wider pattern of the silencing Palestinian writers, poets and journalists; of robbing Palestinians of their voice. Voices of Resilience is
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Comma Press welcomes @HOME_mcr’s decision to reinstate ‘Voices of Resilience.’ . A full statement will be available on our blog in due time. Thank you to all who have spoken out in support over the past week, your voices have not gone unnoticed ❤️.
A statement on Voices of Resilience
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Atef is still living in a tent in Rafah, writing his diaries every day. But rather than wait till these atrocities end we have published his diaries of the genocide to date as an ebook. Foreword by Chris Hedges. All proceeds go to charity (see below):.
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We are hiring!. Apply to be our new Publishing Assistant, and support the delivery of our publishing programme, as well as our writer development work. Closes: 6 Oct. To view the full job specification, see our website here: #manchester #publishingjob
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In 2018 we will only translate authors from #Trump #MuslimBan nations, our reasons in the @guardian today
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We'd like to share this happy news and thank every one of our followers - whether you've bought a book, attended an event, or just started following us - THANK YOU! . 👏🎉
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We are the British Book Awards North England regional winner! Thanks to @thebookseller and the judges for choosing us out of the amazing presses shortlisted in the North. via @thebookseller.
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We are NOW OPEN for submissions to the Dinesh Allirajah Prize for short fiction 2024. 👉 2000 - 7500 words.👉 Submissions close 22nd September.👉 Theme is 'The Uncanny'. No entry fee. No experience. Just one stellar short story. Find out more:
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COVER REVEAL 🎉. We're delighted to reveal our book of 2020, The Book of Jakarta, the latest addition to our Reading the City series! A rare anthology of Indonesian stories in translation about the sprawling and sinking capital city - pre-order now:
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Aspiring publishers 📢. SAVE THE DATES 📅. We're thrilled to announce that The Publishing Conference will take place online 24/25 April in partnership with @ManMetUni . With 2 free events and a ticketed 2-day pass inc 9 sessions led by industry professionals. Details TBA soon! 👀
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We are announcing something VERY exciting next week. Aspiring writers, keep your ears to the ground 👂
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It’s here! 📦 The first ever anthology of contemporary science fiction from Palestine, imagining the country 100 years after the #Nakba - coming soon! 🇵🇸
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After not one, not two, but THREE attempts to get Palestinian author Nayrouz Qarmout a UK visa to attend the Edinburgh International Book Festival next week, we have finally given up, and are going public. Sorry Nayrouz.
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We did it!🎉. Thanks to everyone who made Voices of Resilience such a special evening ❤️. We’re totalling everything up but it looks like over £3000 from tickets and book sales raised for 🇵🇸 aid charities in just one evening! . Amazing work everybody 👏
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Black Writing Resources in the UK: Please see the lists we've compiled on our blog of publishers, organisations, resources & opportunities for Black writing. S/o to @_KnightsOf @JacarandaBooks @peepaltreepress @JerichoWriters + more #BlackLivesMatter
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‘We still have faith in Manchester as a radical place.’. Read our statement on the reinstated ‘Voices of Resilience’ event @HOME_mcr here 👇.
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Readers! If you're following January in Japan for your new year reading then check out The Book of Tokyo!. Our best-selling anthology in our Reading the City series, it features ten short stories by ten Japanese authors, translated into English for the 1st time. #JapaneseLit
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Here it is! . Manchester in Translation, our free online conference for aspiring translators, is now open for bookings. Find the full programme and ticket links on our website: Please read all information carefully before booking translation workshops!
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The news is out - Comma will be publishing books in translation from Trump's seven banned nations in 2018 @guardian
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Standard Comma weekly meeting with all the key decision makers
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If this was about Hamas - as the Israelis claim - Hamas was only formed in 1988. What was their excuse for the 40 years before that?.
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As we close down Comma offices till. who knows when. we’re sending all our love to anyone else doing the same, hunkering down, going into our silos, battening down the hatches, bunkering it out, digging deep.
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Not a ‘war’, a genocide. (Palestine isn’t allowed an army, navy, airforce or even an airport [Gaza airport bombed to bits in 2000], let alone a fully operating power station [bombed in 2006 & 2014].) Not ‘with’ Israel but *by* Israel, etc, etc.
ICYMI: @commapress will publish a first-hand, day-by-day account of life in Gaza from the perspective of a Palestinian caught in The Strip during the current war with Israel. Read more 👇
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We have had someone offer to sponsor a place for a writer on one of our short story courses, they'd like to remain anonymous but we would like to express huge thanks to this sponsor that now someone can enjoy our course who wouldn't have been able to otherwise #randomactofkindess.
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BOOK BLOGGERS & FREELANCERS— Are you interested in reviewing short story collections of the place, translation, political and literary kind? Would you like to be added to Comma's advance list for 2020?. Please tell us and RT if this is you!! 👋📚 #bookblogger #bookreviews.
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We're a regional finalist for the third year running! 🎉 Congrats to all our fellow indie presses on the list too👏 #BritishBookAwards #Nibbies.
This year's #BritishBookAwards Small Press of the Year Regional and Country Finalists have been revealed, with 44 fantastic presses showing the “strength, breadth and durability” of our industry!. Congratulations team! 🎉. Take a look at the full list:
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It has been 60 years since the assassination of Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, one instance of American intervention on foreign soil explored in our forthcoming anthology, 'The American Way'. Read the afterword that will accompany the story:
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With more books than usual due to be published this month, there has never been a more crucial time to support independent presses. Please follow them, buy their books, subscribe to their newsletters/subscriptions + attend their events if you can!
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Love a comma joke.
Pfizer vaccine: effective, protective and safe.Modena vaccine: effective, protective and safe.Oxford vaccine: effective, protective, and safe.
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ANNOUNCING. The National Creative Writing Industry Conference 2020 . An online writers conference, 26-30th October, with free talks & panels and two-day ticketed (£) packages for workshops + agent meetings. Opened by @IrenosenOkojie on 26th October, 7pm .
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Our short story prize is free to enter and open to writers at any level of experience. Simply pen a story on the theme of HOME, and send it to us by October. Win £500 and publication by @Northern_Soul_! . Details on our website.
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Woo! 🥳 Shortlisted for Small Press of the Year in the North region for the second year running! Great to see such a fantastic list of indies from across the UK, see the fullm list in @thebookseller:.
Another BIG British Book Awards announcement incoming. Let us introduce our sensational Small Press regional shortlist! A massive congratulations to those shortlisted and to everyone who entered 🎉 See all 40 publishers in the running here:
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If you can, please don't buy our books on Amazon. Please buy from your local indie bookshop, or @blackwellbooks or @Foyles or @Waterstones (with double points for Plus customers today and tomorrow!) . Or direct from our website - . #readindie #shopindie
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Here are all 10 books we've published in 2020! .8 of which were published during the pandemic. 1 novel, 2 single author collections + 7 short story anthologies. Thank you to anyone who has bought any of these, either direct from us or from your local bookshop. What a year!💫📚
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“What constitutes a ‘commercial’ novel? That’s the idea I want to challenge, the normativity of commerciality is a mistake that excludes experimental, innovative and marginalised works”. Isabel Waidner speaking at National Creative Writing Industry Day 2023. #NCWID23 #commapress
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An exciting announcement: we are the North England Regional Winner of Small Press of the Year!. Huge thanks to the British Book Awards for recognising our commitment to showcasing stellar short fiction from the UK and overseas, as well as our sales and p…
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Wow! I don’t know why ‘explosives’ would do such a thing. Somebody should stop ‘explosives.’.
Record number of civilians hurt by explosives in 2023, new research suggests
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17K FOLLOWERS GIVEAWAY! 🎁FOLLOW & RT this tweet to help us reach 17k followers and we will give away TWO copies of the @Writers_Artists Yearbook 2019. UK Only (sorry) #amwriting #giveaway
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Presenting The Publishing Conference 2021 with @ManMetUni!. 2 free live stream events and a 2-day ticketed package inc. 8 sessions with industry professionals + a CV/interview skills workshop for £25. Tickets on sale TOMORROW:
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In relation to the cancellation of the forthcoming 'Voices of Resilience' event at HOME, and the libellous allegations that led to it, Comma has made the following statement :
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Many congrats to this guy… Talal Abu Shawish for winning the Palestine Prize for Literature today. He has contributed to two previous Comma books and spent many weeks with us in Gaza in 2022. He’s currently taking refuge in Rafah with his family. Sending him all our strength
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We stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine and residents of #SheikhJarrah being violently expelled from their homes by the Israeli Defence Forces. Human rights for all Palestinians must be upheld. UK must stop arms trade with Israel, arms that kill Palestinian children.
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Happy #InternationalTranslationDay!. Are you reading a translated book, or working on a translation of your own today?. If you're interested in reading more translated fiction check out our website, we have translated short story collections + anthologies from across the globe 🗺️
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Join Maxine Peake for an evening of radical reading (10th Feb). The renowned British actress will read an extract from our Resist anthology, followed by a discussion on the historical inspiration for the stories. Sign up at:
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Today is the first day of #ReadPalestineWeek, so let’s go back to where it all started, for us: The Book of Gaza (2014):
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Delighted to announce confirmation of @ace_national. NPO funding today, with an uplift, guaranteeing our ability to keep supporting writers, readers, emerging publishers, translators and the short story form across the North and beyond. A huge privilege that we don't take lightly.
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🪐 COVER REVEAL 🪐. 'Settling the World' by @mjohnharrison out 20th August. Harrison's finest short fiction from the last fifty years, inc. new stories. "The wit and effortless elegance of the writing are impeccable." - Ursula K Le Guin. Pre-order now:
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Let us transport you to a city in short fiction! 🧳 .Our Reading the City series showcases ten short stories by ten writers, translated into English for the first time. 📚 .Tehran, Tokyo, Riga, Tbilisi, Gaza, Khartoum, Rio, Havana (and Cairo coming soo…
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Psst. we're announcing our first six books of 2021 tomorrow! . 👀
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And the winner is. LUCY CALDWELL (@beingvarious) for her story 'All the People Were Mean and Bad'! . After 3 times being shortlisted, huge congratulations, Lucy!. Listen to the winning story here: Buy the shortlist anthology:
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Our NFA Open Letter has made @BBCNews this morning, with responses from @peepaltreepress and @penguinrandom. Check out the open letter in full and our 8 point plan (it's our pinned tweet) @DeadInkBooks @andothertweets @Ofmooseandmen
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Delighted to say we finally have a dedicated 'Resources for Translators' page on our website, which includes our Manchester in Translation conference, blog posts, organisations to follow and some further reading. Find it here: #IMLD2021 #MotherLanguageDay
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We are now an affiliate on .@Bookshop_Org UK! A new online bookshop with that supports local, independent bookshops. Check out our page to indie publishing and indie bookshops:
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From first discovering the work of #NigelKneale as a child watching Quatermass & the Pit to collecting printed editions of ‘The Year of the Sex Olympics’ & 'The Stone Tape', #DoctorWho & #Sherlock actor @Markgatiss introduces @commapress's NEW reissue of #TomatoCain
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Did you know that we run a short story prize which is FREE to enter, and you could win £500 and publication in @Northern_Soul_? Deadline for entries is in October so you've got plenty of time to put pen to paper!
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🍅COVER REVEAL🍅. Published by Collins in 1949, #NigelKneale's classic collection of #shortstories has been out of print for over 60 years. NOW BACK in print: this special hardback edition of #TomatoCain with an introduction by @Markgatiss⚡️.
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#MIT2023 . A FREE. THREE-DAY. ONLINE. TRANSLATION CONFERENCE. Find out all you need to know about Manchester in Translation 2023 via our latest newsletter here:.
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Book bloggers! If you love Chinese/translated/surreal fiction, we've got good news for you:. 'The Book of Shanghai', 10 new tales from the city, is out 16th April, with ARCs available VERY soon. Hands up if you'd like to review! We appreciate your support now more than ever💫
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Coming soon: The Book of Tbilisi - ten translated stories by ten of Georgia's most exciting contemporary writers, part of our popular Reading the City series. Available to pre-order now!
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Organised by yours truly… this will be THE event of the year. Trust us.
This April, we're celebrating Palestinian voices, with readings from Don’t Look Left by @atefabusaif, plus other poetry & writing, performed by special guests Ahmed Nehad, Shamshad Khan, @kamilashamsie, Maxine Peake, Kingsley Ben-Adir & others. Book now >
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Not long after Comma started, this beautiful human being gave us a huge, unsolicited vote of confidence we’ll always be grateful for, celebrating DC, reviewing Decapolis and (honour upon honour) writing a barnstormer for The New Uncanny. A career highlight. Thank you Antonia xxx
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Poetry and Prose for Palestine, raising money for MAP. Peer Hat, 21 April.
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Sarah Hall 🌟 Jan Carson 🌟 Eley Williams 🌟 Jack Houston 🌟 Caleb Azumah Nelson.CONGRATS!. The 5 authors shortlisted for The BBC National Short Story Award 2020!. Pick up a copy of the anthology from all good retailers, read their stories and let us know your favourite #BBCNSSA
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Inspired by @borderlessbooks, here's a map of all of the countries we have published short stories from (mostly in translation) in just over a decade of publishing - still plenty of ground to cover, hoping to colour in a few more in the near future! #translation #shortstories
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OUT NOW! 🌟 .It’s publication day for Europa28: Writing by Women on the Future of Europe. 🇪🇺 An anthology of fiction + essays that, amidst rising nationalism + feelings of disenfranchisement across the continent, offer hope for how we can change our things for the better.
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'The Palestinian refugee carries their village in their heart, like an internal compass. ' - Our forthcoming Palestine +100 asks 10 Palestinian writers: how might their country look a century after the Nakba? Editor Basma Ghalayini explains: #Nakba71
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We've created an online book club with 5 other indie presses! It's a virtual space to read together, chat and feel connected. Join us every Thursday at 8pm GMT on Zoom. Find out more here: #virtualbookclub #fictionintranslation
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It's #TranslationThursday!.Have you read any of our Reading the City anthologies? Which one would be top of your wishlist?.#TranslatedFiction #ShortStories
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The Northern Fiction Alliance website is now live! Explore the myriad titles of your fave northern indies
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*COVER REVEAL* Coming to a bookshop near you in 2019, The Book of Cairo, the latest instalment of our Reading the City series. Our thanks to @englishpen! Find out more on our website: (Design as usual by wonderful Dave Eckersall) #readthecity #shortstory
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This one is for the fans of Japanese fiction in translation, and beautiful book covers. Our best-selling anthology of short stories from the city of Tokyo, part of our 'Reading the City' series. Available now from all good retailers. #Tokyo #Japan #Tokyo2021 #translation
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Korean cover of DON'T LOOK LEFT: A Diary of Genocide, published by SecondThesis. The diary is now available in 13 different languages, across 14 different publishers. The Spanish edition alone (Blackie Books) has already raised an incredible Є161,000 for charity.
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Today I learned of the death of Nour-El-Din Hajjaj (left) a brilliant young graduate, writer, and maths teacher in a UNRWA school. He had been sheltering in Rafah and was forced by the Israeli bombardment to flee back north. We don’t have any more details. Rest in power brother.
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‘When I started, agents wouldn’t touch me with a barge pole. I was too queer, too working class, too experimental. Only after I won a big prize for my third book did they all come knocking’ Isabel Waidner critiques the literary establishment @NCWID23
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Save the dates!. Independent Bookshop Week (UK) is taking place 19-26th June 2021. Where is your favourite indie bookshops in the UK?. Make sure to follow @booksaremybag & @BAbooksellers to follow the celebrations this #IBW2021 #ChooseBookshops
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We're still able to ship any orders made via our website, with UK and international delivery options. Please just bear with us as your delivery might take a few days longer than normal! Thanks everyone who's already supported us by buying direct #readindie #buyindie #shortstory
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Today is International Women's Day! . Next Thursday we publish a new anthology of essays & short fiction by 28 women writers, artists, scientists & entrepreneurs from across Europe, on their visions for the future of the continent. Today, we'll introduce all 28 women. #IWD
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It's time for a cover reveal! 💫.THE BOOK OF REYKJAVIK. The latest in our Reading the City series, w/ ten short stories about the capital, translated into English for the first time. Feat. a foreword by @Sjonorama. Publishing 12th August, pre-order now! .
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It's a lovely day for a cover reveal. Next in our Reading the City series is The Book of Venice!. Ten stories about one of the world's most sought-after tourist destinations, the inner lives of its citizens and their double-edged relationship with its visitors. Out 29th April
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"The earlier stories were insistent. Now, they tend to be wry and amused – you can read them, but they don’t mind if you don’t.". Read an interview with @mjohnharrison about his forthcoming collection 'Settling the World' at @TSOTArts:
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As we enter #spookyseason we're so excited to reveal the cover of 'The New Abject', our forthcoming anthology of stories reflecting modern unease by responding to Julia Kristeva’s theory of the abject . Out 29th October and available to pre-order now: 💀
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📣 We have an announcement. Manchester in Translation returns this February as a FREE 3-day online conference! With 1 keynote, 2 panel events + 3 workshops for aspiring literary translators in Urdu, Punjabi and Spanish!. SAVE THE DATES and look out for full details next week.
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Drum roll please. The full programme for the National Creative Writing Industry Conference 2020 is LIVE and tickets are on sale NOW! Featuring @HarperNorthUK @CheriseLBaker @PoppyBookPR @hamzajahanzeb @AndrewPoetry @YBattleFelton and so many more ✍️
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You know you need to take a break when your cat starts looking like the company logo to you 👀 #catsofpublishing #catsofComma 🐱
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CALLING ALL SHORT STORY WRITERS! ✒️ The 2025 Dinesh Allirajah Prize for Short Fiction is now OPEN. In partnership with @UCLan, we're accepting submissions with the theme 'The Unspoken.' Full details here:
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All we ever wanted to do with the HOME event (and the book) was raise awareness and raise funds for three Gaza charities. Here's how to donate to one of those charities, Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA):
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We're delighted to announce we've won a PEN Translates Award for the sequel to our hit Iraq +100 anthology, this time asking Palestinian writers to imagine their country 100 years after the Nakba. Huge thanks to @thddnk and @englishpen! More here:
Future-focused ‘Palestine +100’ Wins PEN Translates Award
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