From little beginnings: the extraordinary story of a bloodstained, diminutive crumb of a servant girl who would go on to become the world’s most famous wax sculptor.

The fifth novel in the Dilberne family saga – in which the author traced the life and times of both Upstairs and Downstairs, from the end of Queen Victoria’s reign through the first half of the twentieth century – jumps now into the bright new female light of the twenty-first.

Public perception of poetry, formerly the Cinderella of art forms, has changed: it is now valued as an effective way of engaging disadvantaged young people, combating memory loss in care homes, and even training army officers to become better leaders. A new National Literacy Trust report, A Thing That Makes Me Happy: Young People and Poetry 2018, published today for National Poetry Day, explores the links between enjoyment of poetry among 8-18 year olds and the proliferation of fresh ways of engaging with it.

A secret love affair in Cornwall, a tree slung with trainers in Brighton, and the disappearance of the Geordie word “muckle”: a nationwide call-out for stories of the changes that really matter to BBC Local Radio listeners has inspired 12 new poems for National Poetry Day (Thursday 4th, October).

Hot on the heels of publishing the latest issue of their annual anthology, The Mechanics’ Institute Review, the short-story champions of Birkbeck, University of London, are collaborating with like-minded organisations and individuals to put short-fiction expertise and enthusiasm centre stage at Waterstones Gower Street.

John Boyne has been awarded The Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award 2018 for his sweeping, poignant and comedic odyssey of post-war Ireland The Heart’s Invisible Furies.

The world’s leading history prize (US$75,000) has announced an exceptional shortlist of award-winning historians tackling issues from climate change to the political power of the pope, from American heroism to how factories have shaped our societies, from Stalin’s greatest crime to Jewish involvement in Germany’s war machine. 

Goldsboro Books announced on Thursday 30th August the six titles shortlisted for the 2018 Glass Bell Award, the prize introduced last year to celebrate the best storytelling across all genres of contemporary fiction.

From the catwalks of Paris and Milan to Europe’s best fashion shops, from designer studios in Tokyo and Rome to where our clothes are manufactured – MONOCLE looks at fashion with a business edge in a broadsheet newspaper dedicated solely to this fast-moving industry.