Books published by Vintage Publishing

The powerful story of an art form that has transformed the cultural landscape, by an award-winning poet, professor, and slam champion. 'AN ENGAGING HISTORY' New York Times | 'A RICH HYBRID OF MEMOIR AND HISTORY' The New Yorker | 'A MUST-READ' Roger Robinson | 'GALVANISING' Luke Kennard | 'CAPTURES LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE' Therí A. Pickens | 'MAGNIFICENT' Cornel WestIn 2009, at only twenty years old, Joshua Bennett was invited to recite a poem for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House's Evening of Poetry, Music, and the Spoken Word. Spike Lee and Saul Williams were in the audience, and it turned out to be the very same event where Lin-Manuel Miranda first performed a work-in-progress that revolutionised musical theatre - Hamilton. Blending memoir and literary analysis, Bennett shows how a handful of visionaries altered modern culture. With passion, wit and erudition, he charts the history of spoken-word poetry, as well as his coming-of-age journey as a writer. From the early influence of Miguel Algarín and the Nuyorican Poets Café to Amanda Gorman's inauguration poem for President Joe Biden, he celebrates the contributions of legendary figures such as Ntozake Shange, Nikki Giovanni and Miguel Piñero, as well as how artists like MF DOOM, Jill Scott and Mos Def were inspired to develop their craft within their shared tradition. Spoken Word illuminates the profound influence that poetry has had everywhere melodious words are heard, from the West End to academia, from the podiums of political protest to cafés, from schools to rooms full of strangers all across the world.

Diaspora is witnessing a murder without getting blood on your shirt. ***WINNER OF THE FORWARD PRIZE FOR BEST FIRST COLLECTION******FINALIST FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES YOUNG WRITER OF THE YEAR AWARD******WINNER OF THE SKY ARTS AWARD FOR POETRY***'Exceptional... Mehri is a truly transnational poet of the twenty-first century'BERNARDINE EVARISTO, author of Girl, Woman, Other'A once in a generation poet' CALEB FEMI, author of PoorThe definition of diaspora is the dispersion of people from their original homeland. But what does it mean to write diaspora poetry? Momtaza Mehri's debut collection poses this question, taking us from Mogadishu to Naples, Lampedusa to London. Mixing her own family's experience with the stories of many others across nineteenth- and twentieth-century Somalia, Bad Diaspora Poems confronts the ambivalent nature of speaking for those who have been left behind. We meet the poet, the translator, the refugee, the exile, and the diaspora kid attempting to transcend their clichéd angst. Told in lyric, prose and text messages, and taking place in living rooms and marketplaces, on buses and balconies, on transatlantic journeys and online, these are essential poems about our diasporic age.

We will spend up to 120,000 hours at work in our lifetimes.But how do we best use those hours? And how do we adapt to today's working world?'Life has questions. They have answers' New York Times_____________________________________From the #1 New York Times bestselling authors of Designing Your LifeWith this innovative and deeply empowering book, all of us can find answers to these challenging questions. It offers a fresh understanding of the politics and psychology of work and, by sharing the 'design thinking' principles that have been fuelling the growth of Silicon Valley, helps us to build a working life that is rewarding and meaningful.Designing Your New Work Life features updated creative tools to:Redesign your current jobOptimise your hybrid work and workspaceUp your communication gameAdapt to any disruptionLaunch your next career chapter

A beautiful gift edition of this classic fable about one man's quest to create a forest, with a new introduction by Richard Mabey. Elzeard's solitary, silent work continues and the narrator returns year after year to see the miracle he is gradually creating: a verdant, green landscape that is a testament to one man's creative instinct.

'A must-read... Fascinating' JO BRANDWe need to rethink the conversation around mental health - psychologist Lucy Foulkes explores how and why.How do mental health problems arise?How do we distinguish between the 'normal' challenges of modern life and actual illness?Is society really experiencing a new mental health crisis?In this urgently needed book, psychologist Lucy Foulkes investigates what we know about mental illness - and shines a light on what we don't. It offers a profound new approach to how we think, talk and help when it comes to mental health.(Previously published in 2021 in hardback under the title Losing Our Minds.)'Captivating...engaging and lucid' Sarah-Jayne Blakemore'Clear-headed, compassionate and, ultimately, optimistic' Mark Haddon'Thorough, wise...much needed' Mark Rice-Oxley

Conceived of as a 'pharmacopoeia' - an ever-evolving circle of stones, plants and flotsam sculptures all built and grown in spite of the bracing winds and arid shingle - it remains today a site of fascination and wonder. Pharmacopoeia brings together the best of Derek Jarman's writing on nature, gardening and Prospect Cottage.

An enthralling account of a modern voyage of discovery as we meet the clever, social birds of prey called caracaras, which puzzled Darwin, fascinate modern-day falconers, and carry secrets of our planet's deep past in their family history. 'Captivating ...

'Toni Morrison was the lodestar who inspired us' Bernadine EvaristoTwyla and Roberta have known each other since they were eight years old, when they were thrown together as roommates in a girls' shelter. Inseparable then, they lose touch as they grow older, only to meet again later at a diner, a grocery store and then at a protest. The two women are seemingly at opposite ends of every problem but, despite their conflict, the deep bond their shared experience has forged between them is undeniable. Recitatif keeps Twyla's and Roberta's races ambiguous throughout the story. We know that one is white and one is black, but which is which? And who is right about the race of the woman the girls tormented at the orphanage? This story is a masterful exploration of what keeps us together and what keeps us apart, of race and the relationships that shape our lives. Now with a new introduction by Zadie Smith, it is as radically compelling and relevant today as it was when first written nearly forty years ago.'Toni Morrison is the greatest chronicler of the American experience that we have ever known' Tayari Jones'Her work is an act of giving her community back to itself, so that people - African-Americans but the diaspora as well - can see and witness themselves' Diana Evans

Of all the skills you might acquire in life, the ability to make a good cocktail will never be a waste of time. No lover will complain when you present them with a well-iced Negroni as they walk through your door;

Maxine Tarnow is running a nice little fraud investigation business on the Upper West Side, chasing down different kinds of small-scale con artists. She used to be legally certified but her licence got pulled a while back, which has actually turned out to be a blessing because now she can follow her own code of ethics.

The result is one of Amis' greatest achievements: a love letter to life that is at once exuberant, meditative and heart-breaking, to be savoured and cherished for many years to come. *A BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE TIMES, NEW STATESMAN, IRISH TIMES and SPECTATOR* 'The Mick Jagger of literature ...