Highlights

The British Art Prize 2024
Posted in: Galleries & Museums, Highlights, Reviews, Shows & Exhibitions

The British Art Prize 2024: Interview with winner Samuel Owusu Achiaw                                                                                                                                                                                    The winner of the British Art Prize 2024 has just been announced. Samuel Owusu Achiaw took first prize for his exquisitely diaphonous and hyperreal graphite and charcoal portrait of his sister, titled ‘Looking’. We attended the awards ceremony at Southbank’s Gallery@oxo and were […]

Read More

Features

London Place Names
Posted in: Features, Places

What’s in a name? London place names decoded We’re surrounded by street signs every day and casually type these sometimes odd-sounding addresses into Google Maps without a second thought about what they mean or where the name came from. The Romans founded the city of Londinium [London], so you’d expect a Latin root somewhere. Let’s […]

Read More

Reviews

The British Art Prize 2024
Posted in: Galleries & Museums, Highlights, Reviews, Shows & Exhibitions

The British Art Prize 2024: Interview with winner Samuel Owusu Achiaw                                                                                                                                                                                    The winner of the British Art Prize 2024 has just been announced. Samuel Owusu Achiaw took first prize for his exquisitely diaphonous and hyperreal graphite and charcoal portrait of his sister, titled ‘Looking’. We attended the awards ceremony at Southbank’s Gallery@oxo and were […]

Read More

Books

  • The Art of Nigerian Women – Book Signing and Talk
    Posted in: Books, Galleries & Museums, Highlights

    US-BASED PUBLISHER Chukwuemeka Bosah has followed up on the success of his 101 Nigerian Artists with this new 360 page book featuring seventy five artists covering a broad area of aesthetic approaches. He greeted guests and signed copies at the JonaQuestArt Gallery in Greenwich owned by fellow Nigerian, Jennifer Akinsuyi. There’s an epic tome-like feel […]

  • Across Spacetime (Book)
    Posted in: Books, Reviews

    Despite the ubiquitous genre subject matter, science fiction authors will inevitably find different approaches to time travel. Refreshingly, Angela Guidon’s debut novel about time-travelling research students does exactly what it says on the packet, unlike a similar cult 1995 fiction called Say Nothing of the Dog! which set one intriguing new benchmark for dealing with […]

  • The Black Prince of Florence (Book)
    Posted in: Books, Reviews

    Historical accounts of a Renaissance Florence ruled by a ‘half negro’ duke called Alessandro de Medici are meticulously examined by author Caroline Fletcher. He was also the first duke of Florence so any reader would naturally be curious to discover how a black nobleman reaching that landmark fared in the machiavellian environment of Medici-ruled Florence. […]

  • Candyfloss Guitar (Book)
    Posted in: Books, Reviews

    This novella by Stephen Marriott winds its way through rural Spain with the free-spirited, metaphysical air of a Paulo Coelho publication. There’s a strong sense of destiny and journey; an underlying message about finding yourself and your potential pervades. We know the main protagonist (indeed, all the characters) by his first name alone – Diego. […]

  • April 20th 1812: Bram Stoker Dies in London
    Posted in: Books, Features, People

    He’s the novelist who created the most widely known literary horror character outside of Frankenstein. Blood-sucking Count Dracula was responsible for many-a-troubled sleep with 1000 Dracula-themed books and 200 movies now available at the last count. Bram Stoker died in London on this date April 20th in 1912 aged 64 and was cremated in Golders […]

  • Novel London: First Chapter Readings
    Posted in: Books, Highlights

    Novel London takes place every first Friday in the month and gives authors a platform for their recently published novels. These writers read first chapters from their work to an appreciative audience at Waterstones bookshop, Covent Garden and then face a Q & A. This introductory glimpse of their creative work is there to whet […]

  • The Little Basket 2017: New Malaysian Writing (Book)
    Posted in: Books, Reviews

    Fixi London launched this anthology at the London Book Fair 14-16 March bringing a taste of South-East Asian creative talent to the capital. The varied work includes short stories, essays, poetry even a comic section setting it apart from your average anthology. The publishers admit to having a wide remit, claiming “we let the authors […]

  • The London Book Fair 2017
    Posted in: Books, Events & Festivals, Highlights

    The London Book Fair merged with London Book & Screen Week in a way that suggested more marketing than serendipity. An estimated 25,000 people attended this March 14-16 event at the London Olympia which brought together both big name publishers and hopeful independents offering titles across every genre. Penguin Books and Harper Collins hogged the […]

  • The Launch of London Faces
    Posted in: Books, Highlights

    Writer Jon Appleton launched his serialised online fiction London Faces this week on Charles Dickens’ birthday perhaps aware that the great novelist also launched his illustrious career similarly through a serialised London-themed piece of fiction, which was published in Victorian newspapers. It was called Pickwick Papers. London Faces is unashamedly dedicated to the goings on […]

  • Books on the Underground
    Posted in: Books, Highlights

    During your morning commute you may have noticed a strategically placed novel on London Underground. Perhaps already waiting there on your seat causing you to hastily discard your copy of The Metro. Well if you have, it may be the work of a dedicated book-loving organisation called Books on the Underground. Created in 2012 by […]