“I became more and more obsessed with the way that I looked. I wanted to be like the poor girls in the black and white movies who were discovered by handsome rich film directors. I was always day-dreaming, always starving myself. Constantly trying to straighten my hair, thin my lips, whiten my face.
That was not all that long ago. Now I am sixteen, five foot six and I weigh six-and-a-half stone. For the last two weeks I have been in hospital, living off a drip. I am being counselled and I have put on a stone and a half. My parents look at my pityingly and argue in hushed voices. My mum thinks I am attention-seeking. Maybe I am.”
A brave and exhilarating display of words by the winners of the Commonword Young Writers Competition. All writers in this anthology were aged 15 to 25 at the time of publication. Dancing on Diamonds embraces life in Nineties Britain with passion and resilience. Daring to tread on the most sensitive of issues, these young writers show us the joy and pain of living on the edge.
Featured writers:
Musserat AshrafMoya BarrettKristel PrendergastPaul BattinJane Becker-Le CerfSteven BlythJulia BrandrethAndrew CainLouise CarolinAli DavenportMerrie JoyLinzi FrenchAndrew CainLouise CarolinAli DavenportClaire FernihoughLinzi FrenchLorraine GardnerSimon GilmartinJohn GregoryMark HammillSophie HannahNoel HannanJudith HenleyKatharine HubscherJackie HullJane JonesSean KobayashiTim MarchMichael OgaziJonathon O'ReganKristel PrendergastRobert RadcliffeRebecca SmithLemn SissayMickela SonolaJohn StackpoolApril VickeryBen WhitworthLisa WilliamsMerrie JoyRebecca Wood
