Whether the weather be dreich or fair, my luve, if guid times greet us, or we hae tae face the worst, ahint and afore whit will happen tae us: blind in the present, eyes open to the furore, unkempt or perjink, suddenly puir or poorly, peely-wally or in fine fettle, beld or frosty, calm as […]
‘It hurt. It hurt like hell. But it didn’t matter, if no one knew.’ Nella Larsen, Passing There is no answer for a broken heart, she said. Now I can’t forget the way she held her head up high. She was always kind, my Mama, dignified. There’s nothing as potent as regret, I said, out […]
My grandfather, Joseph Kay, Highland Light Infantry – After his capture on the 17th of January, Prisoner of war, Bourlon, Cambrai, and on and on From the Second Battle of the Somme, After the death of friends who did not become Fathers, grandfathers, husbands, old sons, Tram drivers, shipbuilders, miners, Lovers, joiny-inners – never, ever […]
(My father at 87 remembers his father at 17) It wisnae men they sent tae war. It wis boys like the Bantams – wee men named efter sma’ chickens, or later a jeep, a bike, a camera. That needy, fir soldiers, they drapped height Restriction, so small men came to war. As a prisoner, my […]
(for the new war memorial in Kilmarnock) Between the lines of men, The lines of women come: In case you think me strange, Your postscript never came. The lines you repeat before you fall Into line, and the ones you say when you fall Asleep. Dear John, dear, dear, darling – Lines unsaid, lines unformed. […]
If you can picture yourself on the road The one that exists in your mind If you can walk those steps again You’ll be surprised at what you find. The road that was in your head Has already found you walking: When you looked ahead, It was your footsteps waiting. Then you heard the song […]
Helen Dixon is a British/Canadian/Nicaraguan queer feminist writer, translator, facilitator and mentor. Most of her published poetry is bilingual Spanish/English. She has two books of poetry and poetic prose: Flight Over the Abyss/Vuelo sobre el abismo (Nicaraguan Writers Union CNE Managua 2003) and Olimpia/Olympia (beyond borders, Reykjavik 2006). Helen’s poetry and short stories have been […]
Jackie Kay is an award-winning Scottish poet, playwright, and novelist, known for her works Other Lovers (1993), Trumpet (1998) and Bantam (2017). Her work often deals with identity, race, nationality, gender, and sexuality. From 2016 to 2021 Jackie Kay was the Makar, the poet laureate of Scotland and she Served as the Chancellor of the […]
Jon Herring is a linguist and early career translator who lives in London. His undergraduate degree was in Spanish and French literature, and he spent several years teaching English to young adults in Madrid and Bilbao. He then lectured in linguistics at Oxford and Sussex, and undertook research projects on the spelling systems of Romance […]
Tọ́lá Ọ̀ṣunnúgà teaches at SOAS, University of London. His research interests lie in African language media, Yoruba written poetry, folklore, stylistics, translation and interpreting. In recent years, he has focused on language and style of the Yoruba newspaper. He has collaborated actively with researchers in several other disciplines of African languages and literature. His publications […]