| Profile : Zinnia Bhattacharyya | I came to Nottingham Trent University from America to complete an MA in Creative Writing. It's a tough business learning about the sweat and tears of this craft. But Nottinghamshire's rich pool of talent, from novelists and poets to playwrights and screenwriters has made it all worth the while. My favourite place for storytelling is the Ye Old Trip To Jerusalem. A true passion for the teller and the tale exists in this town, a community of writers that continuously inspires residents and visitors long after they leave. |
Publishers are always on the prowl for fresh voices in contemporary literature and poetry. Answering that call are postgraduate students from Nottingham Trent University's Creative Writing programme, who have produced Lanterns, an anthology of short stories, poetry and travel writing. Lanterns will trigger feelings in readers of desire, longing, loss and will stimulate the visual senses thanks to local artists who have contributed original artwork. Fifteen new writers have contributed new work to this student-produced anthology. Responding to the publishing world's urgency to find emerging writers, Lanterns editors hope to expose some of these new voices and help them get recognition alongside established authors.
 | | Lanterns (artwork) |
Joining these new voices are writers as edgy as three-time winner of the British Fantasy Award, Graham Joyce; Australian poet and recipient of the 2002 Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry, Peter Porter; esteemed poet Mahendra Solanki; travel writer and winner of the 2003 Thomas Cook Travel Book Award, Jenny Diski; young adult fiction author David Belbin; novelist Stephan Collishaw as well as filmmaker and scriptwriter Georgina Locke. The launch party for Lanterns is on Friday, 13th 2005 at Bunkers Hill Inn from 7.30pm - 9.30pm with readings promptly beginning at 8.30pm. Contributors to Lanterns will host readings at the following venues throughout May. Reading events: Tuesday, 17th May 2005 from 9.25pm - Junktion 7
Wednesday, 18th May 2005 from 1.00pm - Bromley House Library
Wednesday, 18th May 2005 from 7.30pm - The Alley Café Bar
Wednesday, 1st June 2005 from 7.30pm - Wax Bar Copies of the anthology can be purchased at the readings as well as at Blackwell's bookstore. Read three extracts from short stories found in 'Lanterns' by clicking on the link in the top right hand corner of the page. | 
