New Isles Press - Issue 5 Launch

Yellow House Publishing Ltd is proud to announce the launch of New Isles Press Issue 5 as part of the vibrant and ever-expanding North Belfast Festival. This special event marks another milestone for the press, whose dedication to celebrating new writing, critical voices, and the evolving cultural landscape of these islands continues to shape conversations in contemporary literature. Issue 5 gathers an exceptional range of poets, essayists, dramatists, and storytellers whose work reflects the shared language traditions—English, Irish, Scots, Ulster-Scots and beyond—that weave together the cultural fabric of these isles.

The launch will feature a panel discussion chaired by Dr Connal Parr, historian and cultural commentator, whose work on politics, memory, and the arts in Northern Ireland has been widely acclaimed. Dr Parr will guide a conversation on the themes animating Issue 5, including the importance of cross-channel and cross-community linguistic traditions, as well as the vital role of independent publishing in nurturing literary exchange.

He will be joined by an outstanding panel:

• Dermot Bolger, playwright and featured author in Issue 5, one of Ireland’s most prolific and respected literary figures, whose work often explores the resonances between local narratives and wider cultural histories.

• Jane Coyle, distinguished theatre critic and writer, whose wide-ranging engagement with performance and commentary offers insight into the evolving languages of contemporary storytelling.

• Linda Ervine, Irish language advocate and community worker, whose pioneering efforts in East Belfast have opened new spaces for Irish and Ulster-Scots learning, highlighting the rich linguistic inheritance shared across communities.

• Dr Arthur Broomfield, editor of New Isles Press and leading Samuel Beckett scholar, whose editorial vision emphasises the press’s commitment to plurality, experimentation, and the interconnected literary currents flowing between these islands

The evening will also feature contributors to Issue 5 reading from their work, offering audiences a first encounter with the poems, essays, stories, and hybrid forms that give this edition its distinctive voice. These readings will illuminate the journal’s ongoing mission to foster dialogue between diverse traditions, linguistic lineages, and artistic approaches.

https://www.yellowhousepublishing.com/news/meet-the-authors-issue-5