Happy International Women's Day from the Emma Press!

Happy International Women’s Day! We are so proud to be a publisher run by an all-female team and to have published some fantastic books written by women, including poetry, short stories, and books for children – here are just five of our favourites: 

Paisley by Rakhshan Rizwan

The poems in Rakhshan Rizwan’s debut pamphlet explores issues of class, linguistic and cultural identity – particularly for women – in the context of Pakistan and South Asia. The pamphlet was shortlisted for the 2018 Michael Marks Award and judges commended it for “her formal control over the prose poem or ghazal…an impressive tonal sharpness, [and] a fascinatingly laconic voice”.

Once Upon a Time in Birmingham words by Louise Palfreyman, illustrations by Jan Bowman, Yasmin Bryan, Amy Louise Evans, Saadia Hipkiss, Chein Shyan Lee, Farah Osseili and Michelle Turton

Meet the women who made – and are making – Birmingham the great city it is today. Featuring stories and portraits of 30 inspirational women from Birmingham, this book is sure to encourage and motivate a new generation of female artists, activists, athletes, and more. The book will also be part of several events to celebrate International Women’s Day in Birmingham, including a model display of the book in Victoria Square – find out more on our events page.

The Secret Box by Daina Tabūna, translated from Latvian by Jayde Will, with illustrations by Mark Andrew Webber

This book features three short stories, all narrated by young female protagonists at different stages of their lives. Two siblings realise they’re too old to be playing with paper dolls, a teenager re-examines her religious beliefs and fixation with Jesus, and a disaffected young woman stumbles into an awkward relationship with an office worker. The narrators of these three stories each try, in their own way, to make sense of how to behave in a world that doesn’t give any clear answers.

The Emma Press Anthology of Motherhood, edited by Rachel Piercey and Emma Wright, with illustrations by Emma Wright

Mother’s Day is coming up – why not give this beautiful anthology as a gift? The poems in the anthology examines the depth and complexity of emotion surrounding motherhood, celebrating motherhood at the same time as challenging the huge expectations placed on mothers.

Trouble by Alison Winch

This pamphlet presents a “distinctly feminine (and feminist) perspective” on intimacy in various relationships and settings – between lovers, between a granddaughter and a grandmother, and in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. The poems move through these explorations of intimacy in a witty, playful, and bold voice.