Alan Beard

Thursday Nights: Short FictionCelebrating 40 years of Tindal Street Fiction GroupTindal Street Fiction Group celebrates 40 years in 2023. It's not just any writing group, though - it's truly extraordinary.Made up of accomplished writers, its members down the years include Booker and Orange prize long-listees, best-sellers, winners of several awards including the Tom-Gallon award, a Shirley Jackson award and the Prix du Premier Roman Etranger, and appearances in several Best British Short Stories anthologies. Thursday Nights is a snapshot of work from the group today, which meets fortnightly in Birmingham on Thursday evening. The 14 stories and novel extracts in this collection are the work of current members, all local writers with eyes on the world.The stories travel from Birmingham to India, via San Francisco and Italy, stretching from the 19th century to the modern day.From the writing group that gave birth to regional publishing powerhouse Tindal Street Press in the 1990s, look inside these pages and join us on the latest adventure in our long and storied journey.

SOMETHING HAS FALLEN AWAY. We have lost a part of ourselves, our history, what we once were. That something, when we encounter it again, look it straight in the eyes, disgusts us, makes us retch. This is the horror of the abject. Following the success of Comma’s award-winning New Uncanny anthology, The New Abject invites leading authors to respond to two parallel theories of the abject – Julia Kristeva’s theory of the psychoanalytic, intimate abject, and Georges Bataille’s societal equivalent – with visceral stories of modern unease. As we become ever-more isolated by social media bubbles, or the demands for social distancing, our moral gag-reflex is increasingly sensitised, and our ability to tolerate difference, or ‘the other’, atrophies. Like all good horror writing, these stories remind us that exposure to what unsettles us, even in small doses, is always better than pretending it doesn’t exist. After all, we can never be wholly free of that which belongs to us.

Few cities have undergone such a radical transformation over the last few decades as Birmingham. Culturally and architecturally, it has been in a state of perpetual flux and regeneration, with new communities moving in, then out, and iconic post-war landmarks making way for brighter-coloured, 21st century flourishes. Much like the city itself, the characters in the stories gathered here are often living through moments of profound change, closing in on a personal or societal turning point, that carries as much threat as it does promise. Set against key moments of history – from Malcolm X’s visit to Smethwick in 1965, to the Handsworth riots two decades later, from the demise of the city’s manufacturing in the 70s and 80s, to the on-going tensions between communities in recent years – these stories celebrate the cultural dynamism that makes this complex, often divided ‘second city’ far more than just the sum of its parts.

Handbook of Tunnel Fire Safety is the first book to span the spectrum of state-of-the-art knowledge in tunnel fire safety science and engineering. The construction of longer and increasingly complex tunnels and rapid changes in processes, materials and technology mean it is more important than ever to stay up-to-date. Drawing on the latest research and the extensive experience of the authors, this book is intended to help readers identify limitations in tunnel designs, technologies and models and – ultimately – make decisions to prevent unacceptable risk. Handbook of Tunnel Fire Safety includes: international case studies of real-life tunnel fire incidents highlighting the lessons learnedcoverage of the latest tunnel fire safety research, including the UPTUN projectexpert international authorship imparting knowledge and experience of tunnel fire safety science, technology, engineering, management and emergency servicesextensive references direct readers to sources of in-depth information on specific topics Handbook of Tunnel Fire Safety comprehensively covers the complex subject of tunnel fire safety – from heat release rates to modelling and human behaviour – and is an essential resource for tunnel designers, contractors, operators and regulators; tunnel fire safety researchers, consultants and equipment manufacturers; and fire brigades and other emergency service providers.