UK’s visa ban raises spectre of apartheid | Letters

Author Beverley Naidoo condemns the UK’s decision to deny an Iranian artist a visa to attend the Edinburgh festivalThe UK government’s denial of a visa to Ehsan Abdollahi (Iranian artist barred from Edinburgh festival after ‘Kafkaesque’ visa refusal, 21 July) suggests a game of snakes without ladders in a hall of mirrors. Being divorced, he was told that “no one is dependent on you” ie a bad mark for not having a pull factor to go back to Iran. Last year, however, the artist Marjan Vafaian was refused a visa despite her husband intending to stay in Tehran when she’d be travelling. Her bad mark was apparently for being too young. Making pots of money as an artist in the UK would be a pull factor to keep her here while, in Abdollahi’s case, his work as an illustrator and teacher in Tehran was insufficient explanation for the funds in his bank. This is the third year that the brave little indie children’s book publisher Tiny Owl has had artists’ visas turned down. I have a personal interest as Marjan Vafaian is illustrating my text of Cinderella on the Nile and I have been hoping that we can do some events together after our book is published next year. Apartheid South Africa banned people and books in order to stop dialogue and communication of ideas. These visa denials ban UK audiences, particularly young people, from engaging with these Iranian artists. Why?Beverley NaidooBournemouth Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2017-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #indie children #personal interest

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A UK Independent Publisher at DBW: Nosy Crow’s Tom Bonnick

As the IPG’s representative to Digital Book World 2016, Tom Bonnick says he's looking at the role of independent publishers in today's industry. The post A UK Independent Publisher at DBW: Nosy Crow’s Tom Bonnick appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Submissions Open for the UK’s Polari First Book Prize 2016

Submissions now are open for the 2016 Polari First Book Prize, for debut books that explore the LGBT experience in poetry or prose, fiction or non-fiction. The post Submissions Open for the UK’s Polari First Book Prize 2016 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amberley to bring Yad Vashem Holocaust titles to UK

Amberley Publishing has partnered with Yad Vashem Publications, centre for studies of Jewish history and the Holocaust, to bring titles about the Holocaust to the UK. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PRH UK launches its 'creative responsibility manifesto'

Penguin Random House has launched a "Creative Responsibility Manifesto", which includes a formal programme to improve diversity, in a bid to become a “force for good in society above and beyond” the books it produces. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Banned Books Week to Focus on Diversity

The annual celebration of the freedom to read, set this year for Sept. 25-Oct. 1, will focus on banned books written by people of color. The event will also look to examine why titles by diverse writers are so often challenged. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PEN Pinter Prize extends reach beyond UK

Vicky Featherstone, Zia Haider Rahman and Peter Stothard will be joining Maureen Freely and Antonia Fraser as judges of the 2016 PEN Pinter Prize, which has extended its eligibility to include writers from the Republic of Ireland and the Commonwealth. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reedsy on a Roll: The UK Startup Expands To Serve Publishers

'Reedsy for Publishers' is on the way, as the 2-year-old UK startup rolls out its Reedsy Book Editor with collaborative functionality to come. The post Reedsy on a Roll: The UK Startup Expands To Serve Publishers appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Give female historians the credit we deserve | Letters

Flattered though I was to be praised by David Kynaston (Move over history boys, Review, 6 February), this piece misses the problem. Women do write history; the issue is why they are neglected. The academic profession needs to address this. Historians who want an academic job or promotion often... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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John Murray to publish Patrick Leigh Fermor's letters

John Murray is publishing a collection of letters penned by late travel writer Patrick Leigh Fermor. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette UK sales drop 6.7% in fourth quarter

Hachette UK saw overall sales fall by 6.7% in the fourth quarter of the year due to lower ebook sales, with its parent company Lagardere Publishing saying that "market trends have reversed in the US and the UK". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Crime and thriller titles dominate UK's most-borrowed list

The crime and thriller genre has dominated loans from UK public libraries last year according to data released by Public Lending Right. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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EXCLUSIVE: Curalate raises huge Series C round

Curalate, the image monetization software provider based in Center City, just tacked on $27.5 million more in venture funding through a Series C round. Local firm First Round Capital joined the round, which was led by NEA in Silicon Valley. Curalate is now backed by more than $40 million as it... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2016-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nothing sweet about A Birthday Cake for George Washington | Letters

Censorship is when a government or authority prevents someone from speaking or writing. When a business stops producing something because it is faulty, that is product recall (Book pulled over criticism of slavery depiction, 19 January).For those who think A Birthday Cake for George Washington... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cassandra Clare to tour UK in April

Simon & Schuster Children’s Books UK is bringing Cassandra Clare to the UK in April to promote her new YA novel, Lady Midnight. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pearson restructure to hit 500 UK jobs

Pearson is set to axe 500 jobs in the UK as part of its restructure this year, The Bookseller understands. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-01-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Haida's tale: Margaret Atwood helps bring Native American literature to the UK

Robert Bringhurst’s translations of Haida stories in A Story as Sharp as a Knife are published in the UK for the first time, thanks to the Booker winner’s championing of this ‘book of wonders’A book which preserves in print the almost lost oral literature of the Native American Haida people has... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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3 Reasons UK Publishers Are Not Buying into Diversity

Trying to instill diversity into the UK publishing industry is like “working on a car while it is still running,“ says Bobby Nayyar. The answer, he asserts, can only be entrepreneurship. The post 3 Reasons UK Publishers Are Not Buying into Diversity appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Earnings soar for UK's bestselling authors as wealth gap widens in books industry

New study reveals Julia Donaldson, David Walliams and JK Rowling lead the top 1% of authors, who account for nearly a third of all UK book salesThe gap between publishing’s rich and poor continues to widen, as figures from Nielsen BookScan reveal that the top 50 authors account for more than 13%... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Beauty of Belonging? Diversity in UK Publishing

Bobby Nayyar offers a statistical analysis of diversity — or lack thereof — in the catalogs of major UK publishing houses, as well as initiatives to improve. The post The Beauty of Belonging? Diversity in UK Publishing appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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