‘The old witch, Nana Mudo, lived alone with her dog on the other side of the grove.’
They had just turned twelve, and today was their first day at secondary school. School was over and they were in the mango grove, reluctant to go home. Their father was away on one of his business trips, and their aunt Marina wouldn’t be back from the farm until late in the evening when the sun hu…
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‘I think there should be a National Service of Hospitality. The best way to see the true face of humanity is to serve it a plate of chips.’
Camilla Grudova on bad-mannered customers.
‘Anyone who has ever worked night shifts will understand the vertiginous feeling that comes with staring down the day from the wrong end.’
A.K. Blakemore on working nights.
‘I was constantly reading job ads, trying to find my holy grail – a job I could stand to do, and someone foolish enough to hire me.’
Sandra Newman on learning how to play professional blackjack.
‘I loved being a receptionist. What I loved about it was playing the part of being a receptionist.’
Emily Berry on being a temporary office worker.
‘Every part of you would swell, including your eyeballs, and no matter how much water you drank, you were always dehydrated.’
Junot Díaz on working for a steel mill.
They had just turned twelve, and today was their first day at secondary school. School...
‘This snapshot of us in the foyer of the MuSoN Hall has come to symbolize a lot of things to me. Our smiles seem to say that the worst for our country is over, we are gazing beyond the camera into a new and brighter future, where we could be poets without fear of arrest, murder or exile. We had cheques worth 50,000 naira and 20,000 naira in our pockets. But above all the picture is a confirmation of my deepest dream, that of becoming a writer.’
‘There is a sense of carnival mingled with outrage, especially for us since this is our first demonstration.’
Ike Anya on universities, financial cuts and student protest.
‘I saw it all. Nobody here gives children ear, so I saw everything just by being quiet and doing like I dinor see.’
An extract from Dazzling by Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ.
‘This was no longer a fight, Krishna realised. This was a point of no return.’
An excerpt from Hungry Ghosts by Kevin Jared Hosein.
‘There was a note on the table: Phone Rafa, 983754. There were different Rafas known to me in Madrid, and at the moment I was in touch with none of them.’
