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Literary Magazine
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Welcome to
the online magazine of the
British and Irish Writing Community
Teller of tales,
varied in styles,
stories to please
from the Bard of the Isles.
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Short stories, articles and interviews - written BY writers, FOR writers.
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Our exciting new development
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Issue 4
May 2020 edition
![Streets of Wardeen.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/23719f_589b70dbbed3418791196607d7f1b711~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_78,h_80,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/Streets%20of%20Wardeen.jpg)
The Streets of Wardeen by CJ Pyrah
Fantasy
On the brutal streets of Wardeen, survival teeters on a knife edge, and even the safest places can resultin making a deal with the devil.
![New Hope.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/23719f_94b76ed74a6c4064864149eee04893c7~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_143,y_0,w_492,h_619/fill/w_78,h_98,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/New%20Hope.jpg)
New Hope by
J.E. Hannaford
Fantasy
In a harsh world where life is precarious, a kind gesture might just be their salvation.
![Coping.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/23719f_ceda41a338af4552aae6f0f0d44476d8~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_10,y_0,w_394,h_528/fill/w_78,h_104,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/Coping.jpg)
Coping
by Thomas Mullen
Contemporary
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Grief touches us all. A story within a story that shows how writing can teach us to heal.
![Nil by Mouth.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/23719f_e440136ff8f945f28b05a50c9ed96f54~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_34,y_86,w_477,h_352/fill/w_106,h_79,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/Nil%20by%20Mouth.jpg)
Nil by Mouth
by Em Jackson
Dystopian
In a future changed by a viral pandemic, one woman tells the story of how the world came to be.
![Image by Ina Zhynko](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_3347376951627833447045~mv2_d_2632_3290_s_4_2.jpg/v1/crop/x_475,y_115,w_1695,h_2644/fill/w_78,h_121,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/Image%20by%20Ina%20Zhynko.jpg)
Misura Perfetta by Stewart Hotston
Fantasy
Swordplay is an art, not just a form of combat. But when enemies clash, beauty and grace can bedeadly.
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The Singer
by Phil Williams
Contemporary fantasy
Our pets are valuable to us. We love them as part of the family. Even when they behave strangely.
Short Stories
Poetry
![Image by Toa Heftiba](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_4b494e4e59347036396c41~mv2_d_2624_3936_s_4_2.jpg/v1/crop/x_0,y_673,w_2624,h_2591/fill/w_79,h_79,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/Image%20by%20Toa%20Heftiba.jpg)
Helen Soraghan Dwyer
Here is the first three submissions in our poetry collection.
Two powerful pieces of poetry dealing with the subject of grief.
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Michael A Arnold
Another of our poetry submissions.
Two poems, the first deals with death in a very different way. The second seemed appropriate in relation to the recent
VE day anniversary.
![Portrait of a Medieval Warrior](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/263bf740c5c24aff858de6c0bf473b4f.png/v1/crop/x_762,y_0,w_1905,h_1880/fill/w_80,h_79,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/Portrait%20of%20a%20Medieval%20Warrior.png)
Lee C Conley
The third submission in this edition, again two poems, by our co-founder, Lee C Conley. The first an eerie piece about an antique doll. The second explores an intense conflict of sibling rivalry.
Articles
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Using active and passive voice by Phil Parker
Article
Sustaining a clear and consistent voice in your writing is important, this article explains how to sustain the right type of voice for what you want to achieve.
![Irish Tales.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/23719f_294000bb4ff94ceaa8694cd7573071a8~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_82,h_126,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/Irish%20Tales.jpg)
My self-publishing journey by Nick Larter
Article
Nick describes the trials, tribulations and costs of being a self-published author as well as its advantages. It's an honest and helpful insight for indie authors.
![Image by Nick Fewings](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_5445627a54796639693238~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_122,h_81,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/Image%20by%20Nick%20Fewings.jpg)
Writer's Retreat
by PS Livingstone
Article
In these challenging times we thought we needed some light-hearted relief. So we commissioned our resident laughter-maker to write us an article.
Meet the Author
![arrow.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/23719f_f8c95daa0c36458eaf839766541c9906~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_222,y_185,w_718,h_775/fill/w_98,h_106,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/arrow.jpg)
In this edition we meet...
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JEN WILLIAMS
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Award winning author for her Winnowing Flame trilogy, Jen is also a bookseller and copywriter.
Jen talks about her inspirations, what she'd be like as a warrior and the SF film franchise she'd happily write for.
As you'd expect from Jen, it's full of honesty and humour and well worth reading.