Biddy Jenkinson

Stories from Belfast to Kerry, from the immigrant experience to the weight of tradition, these voices refuse easy comfort. They explore the raw territories of motherhood and loss, desire and betrayal and the clash between old certainties and new realities. A tattooist claims his lover's skin. A widow faces an impossible choice about her disabled son. Birds of prey stalk through dreams of environmental catastrophe. Here is family in all its beautiful,terrible complexity - the bonds that sustain us, the ones that suffocate, the love that heals and the secrets that destroy.Bold, unflinching, and impossible to ignore. Stepsisters showcases the depth and power of contemporary Irish women's writing.

In 1919, the fledgling Irish State sent envoys out into the world to represent the Irish people and assert our independent voice. Since then, Irish diplomats and their families have been inspired to give creative voice to their experiences. The arts of diplomacy and of writing are close companions – both appreciate the importance of words and the necessity of imagination. For things to happen we must first imagine them; this holds true for peace as much as poetry. This volume comprises a selection of personal, creative and unofficial writing by Irish diplomats and their families. Part of the Department of Foreign Affairs centenary programme, the collection is a tribute to the creative power of language and the imaginative bonds that connect us. We are all strangers – here, there and everywhere – but wherever we go, we also find ourselves among friends. Between these pages, encounter a century of familiar names and new companions.