The International Writer's Magazine - November 2008 - Welcome

Destinations: Travel stories & guides

Opinion: Politics & Issues

Lifestyles: Ways of living

Night Fishing: Chasing Tail in the Tropics - John M. Edwards I thought I saw a real live mermaid. The genuine article. This was a fantastical phantasm that was hard to shake. A Personal View Of Whistler Jane Cassie Being a Vancouverite, I’ve always had a soft spot for North America’s favourite playground. Rambling through Rotary Tyrel Nelson Sunday morning. That’s always my answer whenever I’m asked what tops my list about Cuenca Yugoslavia Remembered David Russell 1985 and Yugoslavia was still an undivided country A Religious Experience Tetsuhiko Endo The woman would materialize out of the background for just long enough to put out her hand, be ignored and recede back into the stone so that if you weren’t looking carefully, you wouldn’t have notice her at all. Images of a Friend Tyrel Nelson When I saw José Martínez for the first time, he was coughing up a lung outside my neighbor’s front door Chungking Mansions Tracey Doxey ChungKing Mansions nestles in prime location on Nathan Road and it is exactly as the guide books and hostel pre arrival email warned Exploring Poole Natalya Popova inthe UK One day this summer I astonished myself by signing up for a ‘Ghost Walk’ around Poole The Path of Faith in Turkey Norman A. Rubin Turkey has a magnificent past, which is displayed throughout the land

Insanity of Short Selling in a Recession Michael Levy Would you send your children to a nursery run by cannibals? Then why allow short sellers to crucify stock prices when at their weakest? An Open Apology to America James Campion I was wrong. Despite my hard-line skepticism and relentless cynicism you did not elect a middle-aged Anglo-Saxon The New Yorker, Collusion & All That Chris Roberts The New Yorker building sits at 4 Times Square in New York City. If a writer or artist were to come before this edifice, what would he or she see? Dispatch from McCain country Obama elected president; crowd indifferent- Derek Pfeffer Tucson—Putney’s Sports Bar. 7:00 p.m. The Phoenix-Calgary game is playing on two of the television sets Sweet Aroma of Value Investing Michael Levy Well, there is no doubt that we are in a recession right now and it may get worse in the coming months Learning Languages in your PJs Antonio Graceffo I set up a rigid schedule of watching TV. Over several weeks, I saw my listening and speaking grow by leaps and bounds A Positive Outlook For Life: A Partner in Compassion - David Calleja it is difficult to go anywhere in Sramouch He without finding a person who does not have a family member or friend affected by HIV/AIDS. My Nightmare James Skinner ‘Haven’t you been watching the news lately? Seen what’s happening to the stock markets the world over?

President bling-bling is watching you! Maria Marlais There are, contrary to what many people might think, many different kinds of people in Paris. Magic Marshland Shivani Shah God's golden fingers break the diaphanous, misty morning veil that drapes the landscape… a flash of electric blue of a little-blue kingfisher, lilies break into bloom on cue from the sunlight Little Denmark John M. Edwards I was standing at the bar at the Jolly Trolley, staring at my beer when I decided I was so drunk I would indeed have a hangover in the morning Copenhagen Weekend Aurelie Montfrond Copenhagen has become a cosmopolitan city but still has a Scandinavian charm and culture All About Me Rosanne Stewart It's tricky to say at the exact moment I thought I was going to die; perhaps the moment I buried my head into my hands Predatory Shopping Greg Mosse Shopping is a hunter’s job – but no one has told the shop assistants who is the hunter and who the hunted. Heimo Zobernig at Tate St Ives Mary Colvin ‘Please ensure you do not sit on the golden chairs,’ the attendant implores us in reverential tones, ‘they are part of the installation.’ A weekend in Vienna Aurelie Montfrond I was completely lost, somewhere in Vienna desesperately stopping the few people I came across in the streets, asking them for directions. Destination:Check Jenna Simsen The first time I got on an airplane I was 13 months old Amsterdam Weekend Aurelie Montfrond On a Friday afternoon, I had just arrived in Amsterdam An Island Secret James Morford The missing population in the island paradise

FICTION plus

REVIEWS Film & Books

Unhappy Dilys Greg Mosse Dilys was a small woman with a helmet of black hair and pasty skin. She worked shifts, enabling her to be at home when my mother wasn’t. Clear Glass M J Norris I discovered my younger sibling had beaten me to the last pair of clean socks. Now I would have to suffer the indignity of sweat-stiff socks as well as the outsize uniform inherited from my elder sister. Dog Stuart Parker It was bright enough to give you a headache on that Sunday morning. We were off to spend the day with my least favourite aunt The Wedding Gift Joseph Grant The car had been a wedding present for him and his young bride from his new in-laws. It made him uneasy to drive such an expensive car The Cat Who Wanted To Be A Dog David Russell's story for kids There was this cat who always wanted everything everybody else had, especially the dog who lived in her house Life's Little Annoyances Martin Green The car that zipped in front of you to take the last space in the parking lot;  the lady at the supermarket check-out who had to write a check for her purchases Hoarding Greg Mosse ‘How much have you spent?’ ‘Not as much as you’d think,’ said Jack. ‘Most of it is staples.’ Many Happy Returns Mary Colvin Party dresses. I had party dresses when I was little. With sashes, rainbow sashes. And party shoes. Shiny red t-bar shoes that winked at me as I danced Briar Woods Lauren Mackintosh The evening brought a cold that even this part of town couldn't handle. A strange cold that turned cheeks pink and brought mittens and scarves out of cupboards Sarah's Globe Laura Anne Styles In the middle of the Vatican Museum standing before me is the biggest globe I have ever seen and try as I might I couldn’t stop myself from laughing Standing at the Feet of Giants Michael Hardie ‘Thank you kindly, good Sir,’ I call after the man walking past me, with his suit neatly pressed and eyes firmly blinkered. Diamonds - The Rush of '72 by Sam North - Chapter One (extract): A Matter of Great Secrecy Twelve long years after Philip Arnold and John Slack had departed Kentucky, brimful of optimism, life found them stepping off the Oakland ferry into a sea of genuine San Francisco mud. Too Soon J.A. Laraque That flashing red light torments me. I’ve waiting been thirty seven years for this. What do I do?

Evening Singing Julia Gordon Evening came with the singing of insects, every little voice chirping and wanting to be heard. Kelly was at home with a bottle of wine Secret Door Freya Scott I used to drag all my little school friends upstairs before tea and hide in the airing cupboard. Village Boys and Fret Boards Jessica Patient As soon as I saw the acoustic guitar I knew it was going to be your birthday present An unusal Sunday in Dagoba How To Disappear Completely Mark Robinson "You have reached the How to Disappear Completely automated helpline; you will shortly hear a list of options; please consider these carefully before selecting the corresponding number on your keypad Come the Revolution Clare Sager I threw the car keys on the table. ‘We need to get out of here.’ Clear and simple – no time for misunderstandings. Barren Laura Anne Styles When I was twenty-five my boyfriend Harry had his drink spiked... The Composer Richard McGarry Mattéo Ranvier was intently contemplating Ana Lucia Beltrán’s eyes as he stared out of the window of an airbus bound for Paris. Those rapturous and dark eyes, like burnished amber, yet profoundly sad as if they had been taken hold by some hidden, unspeakable tragedy Be Careful what you wish for Charlotte Francis 6, 12, 40, 36, 10 & 22. The numbers that ruined my life. Naga in the Negev Michael Chacko Daniels After repeatedly dreaming that centuries ago he was a famous Bedouin healer in the Negev, Abdoul, son of Cochin Cohn, saw himself living in the Negev and nowhere else, if he were to remain in the land of Israel MORE REVIEWS The Cure by Michael Coleman Now out in paperback Chris Burden review BBC Radio 4 -British Teenage Suicides Presented by Penny Marshall Jess Armstrong Enlisting the voices of the Bridgend teens, Penny Marshall strives to uncover the reasons behind the Welsh suicide epidemic I’ve Never Seen Star Wars - BBC Radio 4 Sam Richards You might not expect hearing about Esther Rantzen’s opinions on ironing a shirt to be entertaining in the slightest. Charity’s Child by Rosalie Warren Sam North review Any young girl who has ever had a crush on another girl with all the pain and uncertainty that it brings would be fascinated to read Charity’s Child.

Wayfaring At Waverly In Silver Lake by James McCourt A Dan Schneider review James McCourt is one of those writers who seems to have gotten in print via connections EUNOIA by Christian B_k, Charlie Dickinson One given for creative work by an artist is acceptance of limits (a discipline the work itself often imposes). Jackdaw Summer by David Almond Michael Webb Jackdaw Summer is the story of wild boy Liam and his friend Max who are lead by a jackdaw to the aid of a helpless abandoned baby girl Burn After Reading Samuel Richards review The Coen Brothers have done it again. Juno  Directed by Jason Reitman, Starring Ellen Page and Michael Cera Sophie Berry review Juno is no normal 16-year old. After discovering she is pregnant, her life is turned upside down Iron Man (2008) Driected by Jon Favreau Dan Crossen review We’re not just watching this film to see Iron Man do cool things, the characters really come into their own and we really begin to care about them. The Bank Job - Dir: Rodger Donaldson Reviewed by Callum Graham I expected an average heist thriller, with the usual violent undertones that Jason Statham has brought to many of his recent films. I was surprised, but not necessarily in a good way How to lose friends and Alienate People Director- Robert B.Weide Jess Armstrong Review If the story sets out to scare potential journalists, it's probably done a good job Run Fatboy Run DVD Directed by David Schwimmer Kathryn Honeycombe What happened to the subtleties usually associated with Pegg’s films? Rediscovering African Music in London Ronald Elly Wanda It is stimulating to once again see ‘Africa Jambo Band’ constructively drumming up mimetic harmonic melodies in north London One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel García Márquez - Sam Richards From the first line to the last, Gabriel García Márquez’s magical realist tale takes the reader on an epic journey, Walk the line Directed by James Mangold Callum Graham review Its 1952, a young Johnny Cash returns home to Memphis after finishing active service. The Master of Fallen Chairs By Henry Porter Reviewed by Callum Graham I was compelled by the quirkiness of the world that Henry Porter has created and the phenomenon of the magic house was highly inventive Laura Marling Aby Davis Review The Wedgewood rooms, Portsmouth. Amidst the company of young girls with un-straightened hair and charity shop scarves, and some mums wearing embroidered jeans I anticipated excellent live music from 18 year old new folk-ist, Laura Marling. A Most Wanted Man by John Le Carré Marcel D'Agneau review Opening a new John Le Carré is like meeting an old friend Knife of Never Letting Go Patrick Ness - Winner of the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2008 - and BookTrust prize Now Out in Paperback

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