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Comma commissions heroic protest anthology with Newland, Goldie and Master
Comma Press is to publish The Cuckoo Cage, the latest anthology in its History-into-Fiction series, featuring stories by British authors including Courttia Newland, Luan Goldie and Irfan Master.
The Cuckoo Cage: New Origin Stories showcases short stories from 12 authors, exploring the tradition of protestors embodying characters through costumes, ritual and letter writing. It will be edited by press founder and editorial manager Ra Page. The cover will feature artwork by acclaimed Manchester-based graphic designer Steve Moyler.
"From the portal-hopping street-fighter who despatches slaver-statues on her nights off, to the shape-shifting single mum who raids supermarkets to stock local foodbanks, to the fisherwoman who applies her supernatural powers to saving refugees at sea, these figures offer unlikely new insights into shared political causes that span centuries, and challenge the conservatism at the heart of the traditional superhero," the synopsis explains.
Newland, whose story envisions a superhero toppling statues such as the one of Edward Colston in Bristol, said: “The legend of Jack-A-Lent jumped out at me as it was set in Bristol and gave me a clear opportunity to address recent events in the city. I worked with the academic Richard Sheldon: he told me all he knew about Jack and Bristol, and the locations of slaver statues.
"I had the bare bones of a story but working with Richard really helped me to flesh it out. I’m really excited about the story being published, strangely enough I’ve written a superhero story about the Bristol slave trade before, only it never got published, so it means a lot that years later, Jack A-Lent has evolved. I’m hoping other writers and artists might pick up the character and run with it. I’m very intrigued to see how she might grow.”
Page added: "Protest is under attack in our country — with the Policing Bill and Elections Bill still doing the rounds, and even the right to read about alternative (anti-capitalist) forms of society denied in our schools. As it gets harder to even imagine alternatives, we have to get more creative in the way we speak about protest and teach the British history of it. There is a role for heroism in protest; and now is the time for it."
The anthology will be published on 17th February.
