Writing on Water (Seren Short Stories) - Softcover

Maggie Harris

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1781723702 ISBN 13: 9781781723708

Publisher: Seren, 2017

Synopsis

Maggie Harris stories are informed by the Caribbean, where she was born, and Britain where she has lived as an adult, and through them, the wider world. Issues of belonging and migration feature, but alongside these are growing interests in voice, narrative, gardening and botany, music and family. There are both UK and Caribbean voices in these tales, told by children, migrants, mothers, grandparents.

This is a varied collection containing stories such as 'Sending for Chantal' - telling a tale of Caribbean migration, set around the story of a child who hasn't seen her mum since she was 4 and is now in her 30s - which was Regional Winner of The Commonwealth Short Story Prize in 2014. Others include a retelling of 'Sleeping Beauty' with a Caribbean twist; 'Writing on Water', illustrating a tussle between poetry and prose, and 'The Other Side of the River' drawing on memories of Guyana and its mystical stories. 'Telling Barbie' is told in the voice of a child who is unable to speak to anyone other than her Barbie doll and her immediate family; 'Like Lizards Ride Water' was written in response to the crisis of 'boat people' in the Mediterranean, while 'Sugar-cane for my sweetheart' delves into childlessness and childhood.

This is a singular combination of tales from both sides of the Atlantic, told with empathy and musicality.

About this title

About the Author

Maggie Harris is originally from Guyana and now lives in Wales. She performs her work frequently at various venues. A poet, prose writer and memoirist, she won the Guyana Prize for Literature for her first collection, Limbolands, 2000, and was Regional Winner of The Commonwealth Short Story Prize, 2014. Her latest works are a collection of poetry, Sixty Years of Loving and a book of short stories, <>iIn Margate by Lunchtime.

Edition details

• Publisher: Seren
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1781723702
• ISBN 13: 9781781723708
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192