Martin Alexander

In Grandma’s house when we arrived on leave
the grand piano yawned and woke from two years’ sleep
and bared its gleaming teeth – black-gapped and white –
sprawled out, a friendly beast across the sunny parlour floor.

There was a box of sandstone bricks
for building castles by the fire. We had a
satisfying way of making thunder for our cannon
with a fist of lower keys until the staircase thundered too
with Mummy’s tread: “Don’t touch it!” and we

Asia-Pacific Writers supports S.E.A.Write Festival 2012

Asia-Pacific Writers (AP Writers) will hold its inaugural gathering in Bangkok, Thailand, 5-9 November 2012, to dovetail with this year’s Southeast Asian Writers’ (S.E.A.Write) Festival and Gala Awards.

AP Writers (http://www.apwriters.com) is working with the S.E.A.Write Organising Committee to bring together the 2012 S.E.A. Write award winners with translators, festival directors from around the world, publishing