X: The Manchester Anthology (The Manchester Anthology, 2022)

A homely serial killer. An artist who is slowly feeding herself to a plant. A watchmaker who can see the future. An old lady with a centuries-long collection of husbands. A collection of bric-a-brac with a hole at its heart. And a woodlouse named Cottontail...This installment of the Manchester Anthology brings together seventeen exciting new and emerging writers across poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. These thrilling pieces explore sexuality, fertility, family, myth, murder – and gardening.‘A shimmering slice of talent’ – BETH UNDERDOWN‘The writers of tomorrow are in this anthology, today – it’s a joy and a privilege to hear their voices at this early stage of their writing lives.’ – KAMILA SHAMSIE‘This brilliantly varied anthology asks questions about difference and belonging, about the body and about ideas, about joy and shame and the sometimes comic, sometimes excruciating ways in which we humans discover who we are. It is an uncomplicated pleasure to read such a set of writers, and to admire how their striking new images and stories emerge.’ – JOHN McAULIFFE