Our selection of multicultural books:

Unlocking Women’s Art

Unlocking Women’s Art
COMING IN 2023

Who were the pioneering female painters and who are the best contemporary women painters around today?

Discover the historic, contemporary, and global landscapes of female painters in Unlocking Women’s Art. Dive into iconic movements (from Portraiture & Identity to The Avant Garde; The Nude to Landscape and Nature) and find out about the significance of female creativity. Challenge your existing views of women artists and look beyond Eurocentric ideas to learn about brilliant Indigenous and global artists of the past.

Includes over 20 interviews with contemporary painters, providing fascinating insights into their practices, themes and personal motivation. Full colour with dozens of new and original images of the featured women artists’ work.

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Virginia’s Sisters

Virginia’s Sisters

A fascinating anthology of poetry and prose by leading feminist writers of the 20th century on the topic of women’s freedom and the idea of the ‘New Woman’. This international collection offers over 20 literary gems by favourite and newly rediscovered women writers.
Selected and introduced by Gabi  Reigh who gives context to the selected contributions from women writers who were expressing their hopes for freedom and autonomy during the early part of the twentieth century.

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Noor

Noor

Princess, poet, pacifist … and World War II spy. The enigmatic, indefinable Noor Inayat Khan was an unlikely recruit to the SOE as an undercover wireless operator. How did she face off fascism with such courage and resilience and evade capture longer than any of her counterparts?

Noor’s moving and inspirational story takes us across borders and time into a shadowy world of espionage, as British officer Vera Atkins and Gestapo Major Hans Kieffer trade secrets to uncover the woman behind the code names. From her Sufi mysticism to her astonishing creativity, Noor’s individuality was ultimately her greatest strength.

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Free-Fall

Free-Fall

With political corruption on all sides, how will a female journalist who has witnessed a murder, survive to tell her story? A tense thriller play.

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Giorgio Gomelsky ‘For Your Love’

Giorgio Gomelsky ‘For Your Love’

The first biography of impresario Giorgio Gomelsky who was at the centre of the counterculture in 60s’ London and 70s’ Paris before running a studio for avant-garde musicians in New York. He was the original manager of the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds in London, then promoted the French supergroup Magma and developed the career of Gong.

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In The Scene: Steve McQueen

In The Scene: Steve McQueen

An exploration of British director Steve McQueen’s films, from his short films and video art through his masterpiece ‘Twelve Years A Slave’ to his BBC series ‘Small Axe’ and more.

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50 LGBTQI+ who changed the world

50 LGBTQI+ who changed the world

Marsha P. Johnson, Keith Haring, Harvey Milk, Audre Lorde, Peter Tatchell, RuPaul… the names of pioneers and trailblazers who have advanced the LGBT cause and helped bring about new human rights. This book pays tribute in 50 portraits to the activists, personalities, writers and artists who have advanced the LGBT movement and celebrates those who have fought and are fighting every day to create a more inclusive and tolerant world.

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Dark Tales in Winter plays

Dark Tales in Winter plays

A mysterious door that will not close…
A haunted railwayman at his lonely post…
A chilling presence haunts a quiet household…
A black cat reveals a grim secret…

A collection of four classic ghost stories by masters of the genre, each newly adapted for the stage.
Each tale can be enacted by a single performer and together they make for a chilling evening of ghostly tales.

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Rock’s Diamond Year

Rock’s Diamond Year

Celebrating Rock’s 60th Birthday, from the formation of the Rolling Stones and the heyday of the British Invasion to the spawning of the Reading Festival, this book explores the music history of the London clubs that were the engine rooms for British rock n roll. The Rolling Stones, the Who, The Faces, The Yardbirds, Cream and the Bluesbreakers are amongst the many acts who performed on the London club circuit at venues such as The Ealing Club, The Crawdaddy Club, The Ricky Tick, The Half Moon, The Bull’s Head, The Marquee, The 100 Club, and the infamous Eel Pie Island Hotel. We revisit the days when Eric Clapton was God and Rock ruled the world. Play it Loud!

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Wollstonecraft Live! And the Story of the Statue

Wollstonecraft Live! And the Story of the Statue

The story of the campaign for a statue of Mary Wollstonecraft in London in honour of the ‘Mother’ of Feminism as well as a biopic play.

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The Marvellous Adventures of Mary Seacole

The Marvellous Adventures of Mary Seacole

In this acclaimed one-woman play, the true story of Mary Seacole is brought vibrantly to life, revealing how this fearless medical practitioner used traditional remedies to treat the sick and wounded, challenged racism in high places and won the hearts and minds of those she helped across the globe.

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Unravelling Women’s Art

Unravelling Women’s Art
A bestselling book which gives a unique overview of women’s textile art history including embroidery, weaving, soft sculpture and more. Includes over 20 interviews with contemporary textile artists, providing insight into their practices, themes and personal motivations.

 

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On the Trail of Americana Music

On the Trail of Americana Music

In this thorough exploration of the history and spread of Americana Music around the world, Ralph Brookfield goes beyond the headlines to uncover what drives singer songwriters to go to Nashville, play in small clubs and create their music against the increasingly difficult backdrop of Covid-19, dwindling recording revenues and fragmentation of the music industry.

With so many music venues closed and incomes reduced, musicians speak of their hopes and fears for the future of the industry in challenging times.

Interviews with: Emily Barker, Yola, Troy Cassar-Daley, Kasey Chambers, Dave Cobb, Paul Kelly, John Murry, Lindi Ortega,  Wildwood Kin and many more.

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50 Women in Theatre

50 Women in Theatre

This book about women in theatre explores the history of women in theatre from Aphra Behn to Caryl Churchill, and provides an overview of influential women in post-war feminist theatre. Also includes 25 exclusive interviews with leading women theatre-makers, inspiring us to create a truly equal and inclusive theatre today.

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Hairvolution

Hairvolution

Kinky, wavy, straight or curly, HAIRVOLUTION will help you celebrate your natural beauty however you choose to style your hair.

With an overview of the politics and history of black women’s hair, the book explores how black hairstyles have played a part in the fight for social justice and the promotion of black culture.

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The Star with no Name

The Star with no Name

Thrown off the train for not having a ticket, Mona finds herself, alone, in a rural town at night. Although she is fashionably dressed, she has no money and nowhere to stay. Fortunately, the local schoolteacher, Marin, invites her to stay at his home while he sleeps over at a friend’s place.
However, an attraction soon develops. Marin, a keen astronomer, reveals that he has discovered a star which is not marked on any star chart. They share a wonderfully happy night together. But their idyll is soon shattered by the arrival of Mona’s boyfriend, Grig. Will Mona choose to return to her old life in the city or settle for a quieter life with Marin?

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Girl Out Of Place

Girl Out Of Place

Girl Out of Place is a moving coming-of-age story set during the liberation of Indonesia (formerly the Dutch East Indies). Based on a true story.

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New Iranian Plays

New Iranian Plays

A collection of modern stage plays from Iranian writers, mostly women, covering a varied spectrum of themes, from modern relationships, to migration, to revolution, to the effects of war in modern Iran and through a window into its theatre providing insight into a country that is often misunderstood. With an overview of Iranian Theatre and six contemporary plays.

  1. Home by Naghmeh Samini – (Iran) translated by Hossein Nazari and Ghazal Ghaziani
  2. A Moment of Silence by Mohammad Yaghoubi – (Iran) translated by Torange Yeghiazarian
  3.  Dogs and my Mother’s Bones by Mojgan Khaleghi (Iran)
  4. Isfahan Blues Torange Yeghiazarian – (Iran-USA)
  5. Shame by Sholeh Wolpe -(Iran-USA)
  6. Manus by Nazanin Sahamizadeh (Iran), Leila Hekmatnia (Iran) & Keyvan Sarreshteh (Iran), translated by Siavash Maghsoudi. Based on Kurdish journalist Behrouz Boochani’s testimonies.

 

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Fix

Fix

Responding to a call-out, a repairman finds himself inexplicably drawn to an old woman and her house in the woods. At first it seems like a simple fix, but as a storm starts to close in, he is forced to confront the ghosts from his past.
A tale of guilt and childhood memory – can we ever really mend what is already broken?

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Homing Birds

Homing Birds

Reversing the usual refugee story clichés, Homing Birds shares the hopes, fears and aspirations of a young man searching for a place in which he feels he truly belongs.

Young Afghan refugee Saeed desperately wants to reconnect with his roots and find his long-lost sister. So he leaves his adoptive family in London and returns home to Kabul to work as a doctor, eager to contribute to rebuilding a new Afghanistan.

But as past and present collide, Saeed must face up to the reality of his changed world. This captivating and evocative play asks if a place can ever be home without a connection to family and roots?

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The Women Writers Handbook – 2020

The Women Writers Handbook – 2020

A creative writing handbook like no other with writing exercises to inspire.

An anthology which includes poems, stories, essays and interviews with over 30 women writers, both emerging authors and luminaries of contemporary literature such as:

A.S. BYATT, KIT DE WAAL, CAROL ANN DUFFY, PHILIPPA GREGORY, JACKIE KAY, CLARE TOMALIN, MADELINE THIEN, SARAH WATERS,  and the great-niece of Virginia Woolf herself, EMMA WOOLF.

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New Indonesian Plays

New Indonesian Plays

 

A unique collection of seven contemporary Indonesian plays in English by established and emerging playwrights. The plays cover topics such as the aftermath of political clampdown, gay lives, sex trafficking and the effects of urban redevelopment.

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Three Mothers

Three Mothers

Award-winning play about the plight of refugees.

Three women, two children, one story…

Enforced migration and refugee status are the backdrop to this inspiring, uplifting and intertwined story spanning a time-frame of 60 years, of women’s determination to carry on and create a new life.

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Women

Women

Divided into four separate stories connected by one man, Women takes us from Ștefan’s amorous entanglements at an Alpine lake resort, to his life in Bucharest and Paris, as each of the women in his life opens up new worlds for him.

Women is a hymn to love in all its forms, romantic or platonic, sometimes reckless, often glorious and always, ultimately, ephemeral.

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The Town with Acacia Trees

The Town with Acacia Trees

A novel by the distinguished Romanian author translated into English for the first time and published in the UK.

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From Shore to Shore

From Shore to Shore

漂洋过海 – Three journeys – three stories based on the true life accounts of people in the Chinese community in the North of England.

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Triptych: Three Plays for Young People inspired by the Art of Paula Rego

Triptych: Three Plays for Young People inspired by the Art of Paula Rego

The Portuguese visual artist Paula Rego has inspired this new trilogy of plays. Her paintings CrivellI’s Garden, The Prey and Breaking China became the catalyst for writing by theatre maker Fiona Graham. Commissioned by Theatre Centre and Komedia, these three new plays were developed for specific audiences through a series of artist/audience residencies and collaborations. These works have toured Britain and been re-staged in Portugal and Singapore.

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50 Women in the Blues

50 Women in the Blues

•First book to give overview of and interviews with women in the blues.
•With many exclusive colour photos taken at live concerts by esteemed music photographer.
•Perfect gift for music lovers.

Women have been at the dawn of the blues since Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey were singing about hard knocks and tough love in smoky bars. This book gives an overview of the early days of the blues and its development from the Mississippi Delta to the home of electric blues, Chicago, to becoming the vibrant global musical movement it is today. In addition, there are exclusive interviews with dozens of the women leading the Blues today.

Featuring selected highlights from Chicago blues photographer Jennifer Noble’s extensive colour collection and interviews with contemporary women in the blues now.

 

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50 Women Sculptors

50 Women Sculptors

With an introduction by Dr Joanna Sperryn-Jones

How many women sculptors can you name? This book will challenge perceptions that sculpture is a male pursuit and help you to understand the work and lives of dozens of women sculptors – significant artists from the past as well as those working in the exciting and varied world of sculpture today. Dozens of colour photographs are featured alongside the words of the artists themselves.

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The Colour of Things Unseen

The Colour of Things Unseen

A cross-cultural novel about the intense romance between a young Indonesian artist, of Muslim background, who travels to Sydney to study, and a modern young Australian woman.

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