TWO POEMS – Tim Kiely

the cake is made of Walthamstow
a dense and glutinous Walthamstow
we are going to make Walthamstow
a Titanic success for Walthamstow

The Generation of Dogged Persistence – Marie McMullin

‘When All Looks Bleak, Keep Going, for What Else Is There?’ – The Generation of Dogged Persistence The setting: my kitchen in the early evening, lights filtering through the window and the door open onto the hallway. The atmosphere: cheerful but low-key, with a smidgen of excitement at the prospect of letting (reasonably) loose. The…

The Trials and Tribulations of Route 17 – Zahira P. Latif

I stood at the bus stop, waiting for the number 17 into Birmingham city centre. I had been waiting for over 20 minutes, and the queue at the stop had now built up to well over 20 people. I can drive, but car ownership had lost its appeal. I was tired of having to cart…

ONE POEM – A. Martine

Brown girl: you don’t get a plot twist. Your story’s been penned
with strokes as hollow as they are spiteful

Air transport, carbon emissions, and capitalism – Muntazir Jaffer

Image: Fighting for Air, Amazing Productions, 2018 Muntazir Jaffer is a boutique cosmetics designer with a focus on sustainability in personal care. After graduating with from the University of Birmingham with a MEng in Chemical Engineering, he was baffled by the minimal adoption of green technology across the UK and now rants continuously about sustainable…

ONE POEM – Sally Yazwinski

Sally Yazwinski was born and raised on her family’s dairy farm in Western Massachusetts. She went on to earn her M.Ed in moderate disabilities and taught middle school for six years. She then earned an MFA in Fiction from the University of Idaho. She’s currently living and going to graduate school in Cork Ireland, and…

Women’s Rights in Kosovo – Iliriana F

Iliriana Fteja is an aspiring writer with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from DePaul University, with a passion for International Law and Human Rights. Currently taking a gap year and working for USA Today – Gannett, you can follow her on twitter to keep up with her opinions and political views.   Featured image: ‘Thinking of…

“Death’s Embassadour”: Herbert of Cherbury in his Diplomatic Contexts

Edward Herbert 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury by Isaac Oliver. Image credit: Isaac Oliver via Wikipedia Gavin Herbertson is an English postgraduate at Sidney Sussex, Cambridge. Focusing largely on the early seventeenth century, his research looks at spaces of overlap between early modern theatre and diplomacy. Working chronologically, broad areas of interest include: the poetry of…

Derek Walcott, humour, and the postcolonial epic – Georgia Tindale

Georgia Tindale is currently studying for an MPhil in Renaissance Literature at Cambridge, having completed her undergraduate degree in English with Creative Writing at the University of Birmingham. She also edits Porridge alongside Nora and Kitty.   Derek Walcott (23 January 1930- 17 March 2017) was a Saint Lucian poet and playwright who received the Nobel Prize…