Our round-up of Midas news from the week:
Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize winner
On Thursday, we travelled to Wales to announce Caleb Azumah Nelson as the winner of the world’s largest and most prestigious literary prize for young writers – the Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize, for his novel Small Worlds (Viking, Penguin Random House UK). Described as ‘anthemic’ by this year’s judging panel, Small Worlds tells an intimate father-son story set between South London and Ghana over the course of three summers. The prize, worth £20,000, is named after the Swansea-born writer Dylan Thomas and celebrates his 39 years of creativity and productivity. It invokes his memory to support the writers of today, nurture the talent of tomorrow, and celebrate international literary excellence in all its forms including poetry, novels, short stories and drama.
Absurd Ventures
Absurd Ventures, the entertainment company founded by Dan Houser, has announced this week that it will be making its creative debut with original IP, A BETTER PARADISE, which will premiere as a new 12-episode audio fiction series produced in partnership with award-winning audio production company QCODE, on June 10, 2024. Houser was co-founder of Rockstar Games and was creative director and lead writer of the Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption and Bully video game series among others. The audio drama series features acclaimed actors Andrew Lincoln (THE WALKING DEAD), Shamier Anderson (JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4), Paterson Joseph (WONKA), and Rain Spencer (THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY), among others.
Iris Is More than Okay by Natalie Cooper
Audible Original title Iris Is More Than Okay, by Natalie Cooper and narrated by Jenna Coleman, was published – a romance with a twist that will steal your heart. #IrisIsMoreThanOkay and @audibleuk.
Iris is more than okay. Her perfect day is made up of work, run, sleep, repeat and she’s happy to have quiet Friday nights sitting alone on a bench in the park. That is until one day there’s someone on her bench – Hunter. Everything about him gets under Iris’s skin, but what she doesn’t know yet is that he’s about to upset more than just her routines…
Rosemary Salomone
Linguist and lawyer Rosemary Salomone’s compelling non-fiction book, The Rise of English: Global Politics and the Power of Language was released (OUP) – exploring the geopolitics of English and its heavy status of today’s lingua franca. Her latest article about the book was published here in TIME.
Click here to purchase your copy of the book today.
The Hopeful Activist
The Hopeful Activist is a guide for all those who feel called to create positive change in their society but aren’t quite sure where to start. Through their own experiences battling injustice, authors Rich Gower and Rachel Walker are able to provide wisdom and practical guidance designed to help both Christians and non-Christians play their part in bringing justice and restoration to the world. In addition, The Hopeful Activist includes contributions from well-known figures in the activist space – such as Shane Clairborne, Lisa Sharon Harper, and Krish Kandiah – who offer advice on how to combat the hope deficit the world is experiencing at present.
Click here to purchase your copy of the book today.
Spring Street Series
Union Square published the Spring Street Series – a new collection of design-led books for babies and toddlers encouraging exploration, motor skills and shared learning.
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