Following our recent introduction of the first group of mentors and mentees for our second mentorship programme in partnership with the London College of Communication (UAL) and Graduate Futures, we are pleased to present the second group. This programme aims to connect experienced professionals with new talent in book cover design and editorial roles. Each pairing will bring together experience and fresh perspectives, creating a unique opportunity for growth and learning in the publishing world.

Novels are perhaps Liz Amos' first love. One firm favourite she frequently lend out is 'Mr. Loverman' by Bernardine Evaristo – a masterful balance of wit and depth that centres the queer experiences of our elders. And a recent infatuation is 'This One Sky Day' by Leone Ross. Powerfully expansive in content and form, it’s a liberating antidote to feeling constrained by Western ‘norms’.

Fiction writers are familiar with friends, frenemies and family members (FFF) suspecting that a particular character – the clever one, the one who drinks too much, mistreats his wife, or the one who sleeps her way to the top – is in fact themselves (or their brother, their mate, their ex). They may be right – but not entirely.

Following our recent announcement of the second mentorship programme in partnership with the London College of Communication (UAL) and Graduate Futures, we are excited to introduce our first set of mentors and mentees. Beginning this October, this programme pairs industry professionals with aspiring talents in book cover design and editorial roles for a six-month, one-to-one mentoring experience.

𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘦𝘴 article 'Managers Need To Embrace Uncertainty Of New Workplace' by Roger Trapp discusses the challenges and dynamics of the modern workplace. It features insights from Julia Hobsbawm, who highlights the complexities of hybrid work and the impacts of AI on work culture.

Most of us remember a book that had a big effect on us when we were growing up. Perhaps we found it at home, or maybe a teacher introduced us to a great story at school. However we came across it, it's vital that we provide the same opportunity for discovery to children today to encourage them to get into reading early on. But what are kids reading these days? And which stories are capturing their imaginations now?

"I blame it entirely on Dad, this tendency to rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. And to rewrite very spare prose. I don't know, is there a gene for that?" says Rebecca Frayn in the interview she had with her dad, Michael Frayn, and Johanna Thomas-Corr, chief literary critic for Culture & Books.