Ghosts of a Low Moon (Lapwing, Belfast ISBN 978-1-907276-60-6). ‘Andrew Oldham is one of our finest younger poets. Coming from a generation that has, by and large, abandoned the possibilities afforded by poetry for addressing important issues, Oldham succeeds remarkably in investing the best of his work with a relevance and urgency which makes it at once challenging and accessible. This first collection amply demonstrates his qualities as a poet: always readable, never obscure, taking the reader with him in his tentative explorations of the extraordinary that lies under the surface tensions of our lives. Here are poems that are witty, moving and entertaining; poems with hidden depths and flashes of insight. It is a first collection full of promise from a poet already writing with skill and originality.’ – Ian Parks
Next Stop Hope (Route ISBN 1 901927 19 9). This bumper issue from route brings together further chronicles of contemporary preoccupations. Presented in three distinct collections: Criminally Minded, Something Has Gone Wrong In The World and Next Stop Hope – this anthology of new writing takes you skilfully through the inner workings of the criminal mind, the nuances of human relationships and our personal connections with an increasingly disturbing world, where hope is hard to find. ‘An immensely entertaining mixture of drama, grit and humour. An energetic bag of tricks that never fails to entertain, your next stop should be the book shop.’ – Leeds Guide
Featuring new short fiction and poetry from thirty-three writers including M Y Alam, Val Cale, Anthony Cropper, Susan Everett, Mark Gwynne Jones, Daithidh MacEochaidh, Andrew Oldham, Jo Pearson, Chloe Poems, Michelle Scally-Clarke and Adrian Wilson.
Editors: M Y Alam, Anthony Cropper, Ian Daley
The Short Story edited by Ailsa Cox featuring Andrew Oldham (ISBN 1847186696) Long regarded as an undervalued and marginalised genre, the short story is undergoing a renaissance. “The Short Story” celebrates its unique appeal. Practitioners and scholars address the issues facing short story criticism in the 21st century. Author A.L. Kennedy shares the pleasures and frustrations of writing the short story in the literary marketplace. This is followed by an assessment of recent attempts to promote short story readership in the UK. Other contributors look at forms such as the short-short and the short story sequence.The range of authors discussed includes Martin Amis, Anita Desai, Salman Rushdie and James Joyce. The short story is the most international of genres; this is reflected in chapters on Jorge Luis Borges and Italo Calvino and on Japanese short fiction. Postcolonial and translation theory are combined with the close reading of specific texts. Neglected authors, such as the Welsh writer Dorothy Edwards and the colonial figure Frank Swettenham, are re-evaluated and we also consider genre writing, with chapters on crime fiction and Ray Bradbury’s “Martian Chronicles”. Integrating theory and practice, “The Short Story” will appeal both to writers and to students of literary criticism.
Andrew Oldham's Boneyard 
