What the Sea Carries, What the Body Remembers
This suite of essays, brought together by the Commonwealth Foundation, gathers four voices from four islands—each drawn, in their own…
Stories
Five Fingers, One Hand
A poem released to mark the one-year countdown to the 2026 Commonwealth People's Forum. Five fingers spread across our global…
My Testimony
The Commonwealth Poet Laureate gives voice to personal histories and narratives of those who might otherwise remain unheard and invited…
Jumbie Pond
Conrad came tearing into his mother’s kitchen like hell hounds were chasing him. Took up refuge behind Maude. Which wasn’t…
Nuala Nu
She sits at the back of the class, flanked by empty desks. What would it be like to have a…
Mrs Gaonkar’s Girls
We all love to drink chai, but not the same kind and not the same amount. For instance, Auntie can’t…
The Mothers
This work of fiction includes graphic depictions of sexual violence that some readers may find distressing. When the mothers…
Pomp and Circumstance
The mountains frowned down, blue as her mood, as Mrs Hamilton and her husband drove through the gates of the…
We’ll Meet Again
Matiu put his foot down. ‘What about the people?’ pleaded Kana. She was talking about their people, playing on her…
The Crossing
By the time I see the lights of the guard post, it feels like night is already coming. The last…
The Dot
They say a butterfly flapping its wings can cause hurricanes on the other side of the world. The butterfly effect.…
Threads of Truth
Yuki’s tired fingers threaded the needle with the precision of a surgeon and the reverence of a priest. This request…
The Drum and the Bell
‘This one’s going to be tricky’, Madame Fu says to him, referring to the girl in a coat that’s too…
Le soleil n’est pas encore mort
The sun isn’t dead yet
Translated from French to English by Edwige Renée Dro
The Pale Blue Dot
When Emma looks down over the city, she can see the flashing red lights of fire engines moving through the…