Features

To coincide with Wasafiri 106 – our special issue on the theme of water – a new poem by Aotearoa New Zealand poet Stacey Teague about Hinemoana, the Māori goddess of the sea.

‘Loving through music is ephemeral in that it vanishes without archive.’ In this creative-critical essay, Tice Cin explores digital playlists as archives of memory and the role of music and remembrance in Caleb Azumah Nelson’s debut novel Open Water. 

In April 2019, Charne Lavery and Isabel Hofmeyr took a ship to the Antarctic peninsula for a scientific conference. In this collaborative, reflective essay, they discuss their shared experiences of reading in Antarctica. An extract from Wasafiri 106.

‘There is a blue in America I haven’t seen anywhere else, though I sometimes look for it.’ Shortlisted for the 2020 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize for Life Writing, ‘American Blue’ by Michael Malay.

‘The Benevolence of a Raincoat’ by Canadian author Veronqiue Bequin, shortlisted for the 2020 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize for Fiction.

‘revolution is not a one-time event, it is always already happening; the question is – are you ready for it?’ Shortlisted for the 2020 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize for Fiction, a new short story by Lola Olufemi.

‘Dear Sabrina –’ by Rebecca Baird, shortlisted for the 2020 Queen Mary New Writing Prize for Poetry.

‘Friends from Home’ by Aparna Surendra, shortlisted for the 2020 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize for Fiction.

‘Writing is one of the most unpredictable crafts.’ Novelist An Yu on first drafts, favourite books, and writing the unknown.