Anne M Carson

The textile I want to describe is from The Lady and the Unicorn, a series of six 15th Century tapestries considered medieval masterpieces. I found an embroidery version of one of the tapestries in the 1980s; more than 40 years ago. What initially drew me to the embroidery were the rich primary colours: magenta, royal blue, and deep bottle green, as well as the compelling design, featuring a woman on a dais surrounded by animals, and fruiting and flowering trees. It wasRead more

John Mateer

John Mateer was born in Johannesburg, and is based in Perth, Australia, but travels frequently. He has published books in Australia, the UK, Austria and Portugal, and smaller publications elsewhere, including Sumatra and Macau. His latest books are The West: Australian Poems 1989-2009, Emptiness: Asian Poems 1998-2012 and Unbelievers, or ‘The Moor’. Forthcoming are a selection of his Australian poems in German, The Scar-tree, and a Portuguese version of Unbelievers. His only work of fiction, The Quiet Slave: a HistoryRead more

Richard Skinner

Richard Skinner is the author of three novels, all published by Faber & Faber. The Red Dancer has been translated into seven languages, while The Mirror consists of two short novels, The Mirror and The Velvet Gentleman; a translation of The Velvet Gentleman was shortlisted in France for the Prix Livres & Musiques. Richard is one of the UK’s leading creative writing teachers, and has recently published a writer’s handbook, Writing a Novel. His poems have been published in a variety of print magazines including Staple, Brand, and Magma; his full-length collections The Malvern Aviator, the lightRead more