LANDLORD NEVER DIES THEY SAY   Inhabiting Fiction in Contemporary Dublin In December 2018, at Sotheby’s London, the auction catalogue entitled English Literature, History, Society, Children’s Books and Illustrations contained a lot which was none of those things: an iron latchkey, thin and brown and intricately knobbled with rust, 98mm long and noticeably warped with age. This was the key to 7 Eccles Street, the fictional home of Leopold and Molly Bloom in Ulysses, a fictional home which was based on a real rowhouse on that Northside Dublin street. In the 1960s, shortly before the demolition of number 7 and its surrounding neighbours, the literary scholar Louis Muinzer managed to secure the key from the…

The Lilliput Press is seeking a Publishing Manager on a 12 month contract, renewable annually subject to review with the Publisher and Board. The successful candidate will have suitable experience in a book publishing environment, preferably in a project management or coordination role, and must be able to hit the ground running.  Essential Criteria  Third-level qualification in publishing, literature or a related field. Demonstrated experience in a book publishing environment in a project management, office management, coordination or administration role (min. 2 years’ experience) Proficient mathematical and computational skills with experience in setting and managing budgets Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail Experience in problem-solving and decision-making Strong editorial and proofreading skills and ability…

I am American, but I lived in China for eight years, in Shanghai and Kunming. Kunming is the capital of Yunnan, a mountainous province that is home to the China side of the Old Silk Road and where the people often said:     天高皇帝远 Tiān gāo, huángdì yuan Heaven is high and the emperor is far away   My time in Yunnan was memorable but brief. The lion’s share of those years in China was lived in Shanghai. Shanghai, 上海 (Above Sea; Upon the Sea): a city that is both sinking and flooding – expected to be underwater by 2050.   I write this from California where fires of a season like no other in history are still burning and lockdown orders are the strictest since spring. 1. ~Space~ Cicadas  Dew-rinsed: their pure notes carry far. Windblown: as dry, fasting leaves are blown.  Chirr after chirr, as if in unison. But each perches on…