Spiderland “By Richard Swigg”

It’s about the time where there’s 200 miles left to go that you realise its going to be a long night. 200 miles ‘til either the sun comes up or the voice on the radio changes. But where do you go? Except forward. Forward, in a van, with an obsolete company name scratched off by speed, distance and time. The time is the propeller. No time to say hello. No time to say goodbye. But time to drive. Definitely time to drive.

3.20am, 95.8fm

The eager young science teacher of the 3am to 6am slot informs the insomniac and international audience of what I’ve known was going to happen for a good few hours. Not massive news to anyone, wherever they may be in their beds. The man in the van, already on his way ladies and gentlemen, no need to panic, no need to adjust your frequencies, the man in the van is already on his way. I look out ahead and realise the ticker tape parade is on hold, at least for now.

Read the rest at The Brooklyn Voice

Rain back home “By Hammad Ali”

A village hut. Early morning

The heavy downpour had been on ever since late last night. By now the sky looked clear white, but the rain persisted at the same constant rate. The leaves of trees seemed to sparkle a shade of green so pure it only seemed possible in paintings. Puddles had formed here and there, and one could see people running to and fro, having to work but eager not to get wet.  A stray dog lay curled up under a big tree, wet and shivering. A boy in his early teens sits by the window, looking longingly at the outside world of wild breeze and hard rain. Of course, he would much rather go out in the rain, for a game of football with the other kids. But no luck there! His parents had actually allowed him to skip school today, just so he would not have an excuse to go out in the rain. When parents let you miss school, you know things are serious! Sitting in his room, by the window, the boy sighed, longing for the day he would be old enough to decide when or when not to go out.

Read more at The Brooklyn Voice

Britain & The USA – A Comparative History, by Steve Newman

Britain & The USA – A Comparative History

Part One: The City

Steve Newman

Although today we might consider Britain and the United States to be, in some ways, very similar we must remember that those same similarities are only skin deep, and not least urban growth. For instance, when we look at the pace at which London and New York grew in the 19th century there can be little doubt that these two particular conurbations were considered – on both sides of the Atlantic – to be cities. Yet, the definition of what could be called a city in Britain was very different to that in the United States.

Read the rest at brooklynvoice.com

NEVER ALONE BUT TOGETHER, The Drawings and Sculptures Of Ashok Patel

The Noble Sage Art Gallery: 3rd – 28th September

The Noble Sage is proud to open ‘NEVER ALONE BUT TOGETHER’, the long-awaited exhibition of the sculptures and drawings of Gujarati artist, Ashok Patel.

Ashok Patel ‘s art returns us to the spiritual core of India. It leaves aside religion and concentrates on the enhancement of the soul. This exhibition demonstrates Ashok’s continuing fascination with drawing and the translation of these creations into a sculptural form.

Read more about the event in Brooklynvoice.com

A selection of ten poems. by Esa Mäkijärvi

1. Night glasses

In the night glasses the water stays, the surface shivers,
runs as the natural light touches the surface
and passes the water without touching it,
in the night glasses the water stays, it’s surface shivers,
something drives by as the movement forces us to the
same pace and somehow we can’t stand still,
in the night glasses the water stays, together they can’t stay,
touches the pure surface without a trace that
they are moved by the same thing as us by the same time.

Read the rest of the 9 poems at brooklynvoice.com