Tomasz Jedrowski’s SWIMMING IN THE DARK reimagined as an opera in Key West, Florida

Tomasz Jedrowski’s ‘modern literary classic’ SWIMMING IN THE DARK is set to make its debut on the opera stage this week, with the premiere of the first act of an adaptation at a developmental staged concert in Key West, Florida on Friday 21 March. Written by composer Martin Hennessy and librettist Stephen Kitsakos, there will be two initial performances of the work-in-progress English-language opera from 21 to 22 March at The Studios of Key West, where they will be joined by Tomasz in person for the premiere.

The adaptation is a collaboration between composer Martin Hennessy, librettist Stephen Kitsakos, and Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music Opera & Ballet Theater. Featuring 18 artists from Jacobs, and directed by Michael Shell, Resident Opera Stage Director at the Jacobs School, the 85-minute Act One will be performed in English by 12 singers and a chamber ensemble.

‘The story unfolds in 1980, as the communist Polish People’s Republic teeters on the edge of collapse,’ said librettist Stephen Kitsakos. “At its heart is a passionate love affair, but it’s also a gripping political thriller set in a country being torn apart by upheaval.’

Tickets for the performances are available from The Studios of Key West website.

First published by Bloomsbury in 2020, SWIMMING IN THE DARK has since become a worldwide sensation, embraced by both critics and new generations of fans on BookTok – including the pop singer Dua Lipa, who picked the book for her Service95 Book Club in May 2024. The novel was a finalist for the Polari First Book Prize in 2021, has so far been translated into eighteen languages, with film/TV, theatre and opera rights all under option for adaptation. It was published in the USA by William Morrow.

Poland, 1980. Shy, anxious Ludwik has been sent along with the rest of his university class to an agricultural camp. Here he meets Janusz – and together they spend a dreamlike summer falling in love.

But with summer over, the two are sent back to Warsaw. Confronted by the scrutiny, intolerance and corruption of life under the Party, Ludwik and Janusz must decide how they will survive; and in their different choices, find themselves torn apart.

Photo: Kuba Dabrowski

About Tomasz Jedrowski

Tomasz was born in West Germany to Polish parents and studied law at Cambridge. He lives in France, exploring local history, national identity, and ecology.

His debut novel SWIMMING IN THE DARK was published by Bloomsbury in the UK and William Morrow in the USA, and has been translated into eighteen languages. Film/TV rights and opera rights have been optioned. The novel was a finalist for the Polari First Book Prize (2021).

Praise for SWIMMING IN THE DARK

‘Marvellous, precise, poignant writing; the reader is happy to be overwhelmed. The highest talent at work.’ – Sebastian Barry

‘A lyrical exploration of the conflict between gay love and political conformity. Jedrowski is an authentic new international star.’ – Edmund White

‘Heartbreak – yes, I’m a romantic – is what we get from Tomasz Jedrowski’s exquisite debut novel, SWIMMING IN THE DARK. Set in 1980s Poland, this love story captivates and is so beautifully written I return to it again and again.’ – Guardian

‘Readers will relish the indelible prose, which approaches the mastery of Alan Hollinghurst. Jedrowski’s portrayal of Poland’s tumultuous political transformation over several decades makes this a provocative, eye-opening exploration of the costs of defying as well as complying with social and political conventions.’ – Publishers Weekly

‘A stupendous read: I could not put the book down. I urge you to order this book now. Its eloquence, its understanding of identity, belonging, loneliness and love is second to none. Powerful and uplifting.’ – Lord Michael Cashman, co-founder of Stonewall

Graeme Armstrong’s bestselling novel THE YOUNG TEAM to be adapted into BBC drama series

THE YOUNG TEAM, a six-part drama series based on Graeme Armstrong’s award-winning debut novel, has been commissioned by the BBC, with Graeme adapting for screen himself. Set and filmed in North Lanarkshire, where Graeme himself grew up, the series will air on BBC iPlayer, BBC Scotland and BBC One at a date to be confirmed.

In THE YOUNG TEAM, 15-year-old Azzy Williams and his pals roam the streets of Airdrie, bottles of Buckfast in hand and techno playing from tinny speakers. Azzy is ready: ready to smoke, pop pills, drink wine and fight. He longs to become fully initiated into local gang the Young Team Posse (YTP). But when Azzy, determined to prove himself, makes a bold move, a brutal gang conflict ensues with Azzy very firmly at its heart. THE YOUNG TEAM will follow Azzy on his journey from boyhood to manhood as he and his mates become postcode warriors in a toxic cycle that threatens to consume them. An unflinching look at the realities of addiction and gang violence, this ambitious series will tell a powerful, visceral story about the realities of life for young, disenfranchised people, and the fight for a different future.

The series will be made by BAFTA-winning independent producers Synchronicity Films (THE TATOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ, Sky Atlantic/Peacock/Stan; MAYFLIES, BBC One), who optioned the TV rights from Conrad Williams at Blake Friedmann. The executive producers are Claire Mundell for Synchronicity Films, Gaynor Holmes for the BBC, and Gavin Smith for BBC Scotland.

THE YOUNG TEAM has had a major impact, not only on readers, but whole communities since it was first published by Picador in 2020, and has been translated into Spanish and Italian. Graeme’s reputation as one of Britian’s most exciting voices has since been cemented by his inclusion on the Granta Best of Young British Novelists list in 2023, and his upcoming second novel RAVEHEART, set to be published by 4th Estate in Spring 2026.

Graeme has previously appeared on the BBC in two documentaries he presented for the broadcaster: SCOTLAND THE RAVE, which aired in 2021, and STREET GANGS, which followed in 2023.

‘I have been working on THE YOUNG TEAM project for 12 years At the beginning, I was only 21 and in the first days of my recovery from a decade of territorial gang violence, substance abuse and addiction. To say it’s been a labour of love is an understatement. Alongside creating a respectful representation of Scottish working class life and the trials of growing up amidst a ‘young team’ gang culture, entrenched for generations, the work on both page and screen has given me the opportunity to reach young people at risk, working in violence prevention to affect change in their lives.

This has been the privilege of my life but it comes with enormous responsibility, as does our task to capture this unique culture on film. The impact of storytelling like this changed my destiny and, ultimately, saved me. The BBC and Synchronicity adaptation will take this legacy to new peaks, creating powerful drama which connects with a current UK audience living under the shadow of rising violence, gangs and blade culture. We understand these profound challenges and are well placed to tell this story through lived experience and a shared commitment to accuracy. The solution lies in the community and that is where this story originated. I cannot wait to get stuck in and see THE YOUNG TEAM brought to life by such a trusted network as the BBC and with the tenacity and absolute passion of my friends and colleagues at Synchronicity Films.’ – Graeme Armstrong

‘Working with Graeme on the adaptation of his staggeringly accomplished debut novel THE YOUNG TEAM is at the heart of what we do at Synchronicity and it’s an absolute honour to watch his brilliance as he starts his screenwriting career,’ said Claire Mundell, Founder and Creative Director of Synchronicity Films.

‘Having explored gang culture in documentary form we’re thrilled to be adapting Graeme’s hit novel and bringing the complex characters to life on screen and showcasing THE YOUNG TEAM gang to viewers around the country. THE YOUNG TEAM has been such a culturally significant novel for Scotland and for the BBC to be the broadcaster bringing this powerful story to television truly is an honour,’ added Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning for BBC Scotland.

Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, said: ‘THE YOUNG TEAM's unflinching and compelling depiction of gang life, inspired by Graeme’s personal experiences, has proven hugely popular with readers since its publication five years ago. We feel privileged that for his first TV drama Graeme has chosen to adapt his book for the BBC, working alongside the team at Synchronicity Films, and we can’t wait to bring Azzy and co to the screen.’

Photo: Robin Farquhar-Thomson

About Graeme Armstrong

Graeme Armstrong is a Scottish writer from Airdrie. His teenage years were spent within North Lanarkshire’s gang culture. Overcoming his own struggles with drug addiction, alcohol abuse and violence, he defied expectation to read English at the University of Stirling. He is currently undertaking a PhD at the University of Strathclyde. Graeme regularly works within the community visiting prisons and schools, giving talks on his experiences of gang-culture and substance abuse. He promotes a message of anti-violence and abstinence-based recovery. His bestselling debut novel, THE YOUNG TEAM (Picador, 2020), is inspired by his experiences. It won a Betty Trask Award, a Somerset Maugham Award, and the Scots Book o the Year 2021.

Praise for Graeme Armstrong and THE YOUNG TEAM

‘Graeme Armstrong is the real deal.’ – Douglas Stuart

‘One of the most admired young voices in British fiction’ – Mike Wade, The Times

‘Gives us a voice from a place – geographically and socio-economically – we don’t often hear from’ – John Self, The Times

‘Armstrong’s hard-hitting novel is TRAINSPOTTING for a new generation’ – Independent

‘A swaggering, incendiary debut… Sharp yet tender and mischievously funny, THE YOUNG TEAM pitches Armstrong straight into the first division of Scottish writers.’ – Jude Cook, The Guardian

Follow Graeme on X, BlueSky and Instagram

Romalyn Ante’s AGIMAT longlisted for the inaugural Jhalak Poetry Prize

Author photo: S Chadawong

Congratulations to Romalyn Ante, whose second poetry collection AGIMAT (Chatto & Windus) has been longlisted for this year’s Jhalak Prize, celebrating the best book published in the UK and Ireland by a writer of colour. Previously shortlisted in 2021 for her debut collection ANTIEMETIC FOR HOMESICKNESS, Romalyn is this year recognised in the new category exclusively for poetry collections.

Other authors nominated for the longlist alongside Romalyn were Khairani Barokka, Azad Ashim Sharma, Mimi Khalvati, Claudine Toutoungi, Nisha Ramayya, Rushika Wick, Amaan Hyder, Raymond Antrobus, Tim Tim Cheng, Karen McCarthy Woolf and the late Gboyega Odubanjo. The poetry prize will be judged by Jason Allen-Paisant, Malika Booker and Will Harris, with the shortlist due to be announced on 22 April, followed by the winners on 4 June.

‘This longlist demands to be looked at,’ said the judges of the poetry prize in a press release. ‘These are twelve poetry books by writers of colour published at a time when fewer than 1% of students at GCSE level study a book by a writer of colour. These are books saying valuable things in unusual forms. Like all good poetry, each book is uniquely receptive to the speech of our time, finding out the spaces in language where ideology inserts itself and picking it apart.’

‘It is clear in the ninth year of the Jhalak Prize awards that the quality of work being produced by writers of colour in Britain and Ireland is extraordinary,’ said Prize founder Sunny Singh. ‘The judges for all three awards, including our inaugural Jhalak Poetry Prize, have struggled to select only twelve books for each longlist and have chosen them with immense care, difficulty and heartbreak for all the books that they could not include. These books do not flinch from the harsh realities of our histories, times and lives. Yet they are also books full of love, hope and joy.’

About AGIMAT:

this charms the buried light of stars –

this deflects bullets – this unblooms a war –

In some Filipino clans, parents pass down to each child an AGIMAT, an amulet, in the hope its magic will protect and empower them. In a world of daily pain and loss, Romalyn Ante’s second collection asks: how do we keep safe what we hold most dear?

At the dawn of the pandemic, the poet – a practising nurse in the NHS – is thrown onto the frontlines of the war against COVID-19. Past conflicts swim into the now. When she falls in love with a man of Japanese heritage, it forces a reckoning with her family’s suffering under Japan’s brutal wartime occupation of the Philippines. Elsewhere, we meet the irrepressible goddess Mebuyan, who, in Philippine myth, nurses the spirits of children in the underworld. Here, she watches over young people in crisis – a girl who can’t stop cutting herself, a teenager who has leapt from a railway viaduct.

These are poems of strength and solace; they question what it means to fight, and what it takes to heal.

Romalyn is currently writing her debut novel, THE LEFT-BEHIND CHILD, a lyrical and vivid depiction of childhood and rupture inspired by her and her mother’s stories of leaving the Philippines to work and care for others in the United Kingdom, which will be published by Chatto & Windus in Spring 2026.

About Romalyn Ante

Romalyn Ante FRSL is a British-Filipino poet, essayist, and editor. She grew up in the Philippines and migrated to her second home, Wolverhampton, in 2005.

She is co-founding editor of harana poetry, a magazine for poets who write in English as a second or parallel language, and the founder of Tsaá with Roma, an online interview series with poets and other creatives. She was awarded the Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowship and she currently sits as an editorial board member for Poetry London magazine. 

She is the first East-Asian to win the Poetry London Prize (2018) and the Manchester Poetry Prize (2017). She also won the Creative Future Literary Award 2017.

Apart from being a writer, she also works as a specialist nurse practitioner. Her debut poetry collection, ANTIEMETIC FOR HOMESICKNESS, is published by Chatto & Windus and was an Irish Times Best Poetry Book of 2020, an Observer Poetry Book of the Month and a Poetry School Poetry Book of the Year 2020. It was also a National Poetry Day UK Recommended Read and was longlisted for the Jhalak Prize and the Dylan Thomas Prize.

 Praise for AGIMAT

‘In her spellbinding meditation on love and loss, hope is less “the thing with feathers” and more the thing with forceps… I felt grateful for the tender attention the poet affords to a hope that many of us hold dear: that as patients – that as people – we may amount to more than just flesh and bone. Thankfully, in the hands of Romalyn Ante the human self far exceeds statistics and the subtotal of all its scars.’ – Jade Cuttle, The Observer

‘Unflinching in detailing the physical and emotional exhaustion of [nursing], and also delivers deft political commentary… As she moves between the Philippines and the Midlands, and touches on her relationships with her family and partner, what unites the poems is her simple, beautiful language, and an awareness of the difficulty of healing.’ – Rishi Dastidar, ‘The Best Recent Poetry’, The Guardian

‘Ante is an alchemical wonder of a poet: unparalleled in her image-making, raw to both historical and contemporary damage and rich in cultures… Keep these poems with you as I will – always.’ – Fiona Benson

‘Romalyn Ante’s mesmeric new collection is deeply rooted in the dualities of life, cultural identity, and the profound interplay of personal and communal experience. Vivid, lyrical, and always surprising, it is a testament to those who navigate the complex legacies of history toward healing and resilience.’ – Nathan Filer

‘With precision, deftness, and at times playfulness, AGIMAT weaves in mythical and modern imageries, the universal with the intimate. The result is a powerful and hopeful collection, filled with heart and beauty, that illuminates us to the many forms that caring and healing can take.’ – Cecile Pin

Praise for Romalyn Ante

‘Captivating, playful, moving, witty and agile... an unforced poet with a lightness of touch and fortitude’ – The Guardian

‘Romalyn Ante is a poet to fall in love with’ – Liz Berry

‘Ante's poems are like embers, pared back to a slow-burning emotional core’ – Times Literary Supplement

Vist Romalyn’s website.

Follow Romalyn on X (previously Twitter) and Instagram. 

Avon acquire two more romance novels from Emma Cowell

HarperCollins has signed two more escapist and sweeping romance novels set in Greece by bestselling author Emma Cowell. Rachel Hart, senior commissioning editor at Avon Books, bought world English rights from Kate Burke at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency. The novels will be published in May 2026 and May 2027.

The first novel follows Ellen on a journey of self-discovery as she experiences a trip that changes her life forever. Though it causes conflict within her family, she wrestles with her own guilt and the need to live her own life, not for the memory of her husband, her son or daughter, but solely for her. Both books will capture the magic of falling in love under the Mediterranean sun.

Emma Cowell said: ‘I am so thrilled to continue my author journey with the brilliant team at Avon. Their enthusiasm for my writing started with my debut novel and it's hard to believe we are now at book five and six – it still feels like a dream. I can't wait to share more magical corners of Greece with readers featuring emotional, sweeping love stories, female friendship and sisterhood and, of course, heaps of delicious Greek food!’

Rachel Hart said: ‘Every one of Emma's books transports me to the whitewashed streets and crystal-blue waters of Greece. These two further books will capture the magic of falling in love under the Mediterranean sun, and I can’t wait for readers to experience them!’

Kate Burke said: 'I’m delighted to see this fruitful partnership flourishing and for readers to enjoy more sun-drenched, poignant and uplifting novels from Emma!’

Emma’s upcoming novel, UNDER THE LEMON TREE, will be published by Avon in paperback on 8 May 2025. Emma’s novels have sold over 100,000 copies throughout the world and have been published in nine languages.

About Emma Cowell
Emma lives in Cornwall with her husband, Tony. A former actress and BBC presenter, Emma has worked in the fundraising division of children’s palliative care for the last decade. Segueing from being paid to talk for a living into writing was a natural progression, since story telling has been at the heart of her career to date. Outside of work, Emma is a keen angler and held a Cornish record for over 10 years until her crown was toppled. She is yet to get over it but tries to keep calm by practising yoga. Also a keen linguist, Emma has learnt Greek to maintain her love affair with the country where she has set her novels. She is yet to achieve a level of proficiency outside of tavernas and bakeries.

Praise for Emma Cowell and UNDER THE LEMON TREE
‘Emma Cowell is a masterful storyteller of sun-drenched, heartfelt, glorious stories. In UNDER THE LEMON TREE, you will bask in the Grecian sun in a novel of pure escape. Kat navigates the path of grief and as she heals, secrets are revealed that will change the course of her life. Delicious. Luscious. The perfect summer read!’ – Adriana Trigiani, author of THE GOOD LEFT UNDONE

‘I was engrossed, hanging on to every word, and so impressed by UNDER THE LEMON TREE that I will be recommending it to all my friends.’ – Patricia Wilson, author of GREEK ISLAND ESCAPE

‘Absolutely enchanting. I could feel the Greek sun kissing my skin as tenderly as the story warmed my heart.’ – Kate Glanville, author of THE PEACOCK HOUSE

‘UNDER THE LEMON TREE is one of those novels that stayed with me long after I finished reading the last page and its very satisfying conclusion. I’d been taken on a wonderful journey of healing and discovery for the main character, Kat, as she faces life without her beloved twin brother. I loved the way that her professional writing evolved into personal writing that became a healing balm for her grief. A superbly crafted novel with many twists and turns, I couldn’t put it down. With its strong sense of place, I was whisked away to a stunning Greek island, sampling the sunshine, the vibrant colours, the delicious food, family life and culture. All the characters come alive on the page. I particularly liked the way the author explores the bond between twin siblings and loved the references to the Ancient Greek twins, Artemis and Apollo, threaded throughout the book. A beautiful uplifting love story, full of secrets, emotion and hope, set against the backdrop of a gorgeous Greek island.’ – Jan Baynham, author of THE GREEK ISLAND SECRET

‘Beautiful, emotional and uplifting escapism with an exquisitely vivid Greek island setting. Utter bliss… readers will adore this book, I’m sure.’ – Alex Brown, author of BRING ME SUNSHINE

Visit Emma’s website.

Follow Emma on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.