Bobby Nayyar

While researching a photoessay on the first decade of the 21st century, Tarsem discovers a photograph of Rubina, a former university friend now working as a campaigner. Unable to comfort his wife who has just recovered from her second miscarriage, and cope with the spectre of restructure and redundancy at his office, he contacts her. In reconnecting he faces the prejudices of his youth. Tarsem is Sikh, Rubina is Muslim. And the last ten years have seen them follow opposing paths shaded by events beyond their control. Encouraged by her, Tarsem travels to India with his parents unaware of the impact it will have on all their lives.

West of No East

Thankfully there’s more to vampires than soppy teenagers brooding in a forest. Rather we’ve injected a bit of bite into the genre by asking 10 authors to write their own vampire story. Their aim is to expand the boundaries of vamplit. There’s a troubled chef, an interview with Nosferatu, a bank clerk in crisis, a dystopian England and a lovestruck killer. In addition, we’ve commissioned three artists to do the same. Let’s just hope they make it through to sunrise. The Vampire 10: Amy Taylor, Berni Stevens, Bobby Nayyar, H. P. Tinker, Nicholas Royle, Paul Burston, Paul McDonald, Penelope Skinner, Rajinder Kaur, Ricky Oh. The Artists: Ginny Skinner, Nikola Kapetanovic and Shantell Martin.

Bloody Vampires

Kit de Waal

Joel Lane

C.D. Rose

Sharon Duggal

Jendella Benson

Balvinder Banga

Alan Beard

Malachi McIntosh

Sibyl Ruth

Few cities have undergone such a radical transformation over the last few decades as Birmingham. Culturally and architecturally, it has been in a state of perpetual flux and regeneration, with new communities moving in, then out, and iconic post-war landmarks making way for brighter-coloured, 21st century flourishes. Much like the city itself, the characters in the stories gathered here are often living through moments of profound change, closing in on a personal or societal turning point, that carries as much threat as it does promise. Set against key moments of history – from Malcolm X’s visit to Smethwick in 1965, to the Handsworth riots two decades later, from the demise of the city’s manufacturing in the 70s and 80s, to the on-going tensions between communities in recent years – these stories celebrate the cultural dynamism that makes this complex, often divided ‘second city’ far more than just the sum of its parts.

A City in Short Fiction

The Book of Birmingham

Bobby Nayyar

Books

Your next favorite book is out there