The Reader 47 is here

As the summer sunshine begins to fade, we've got the perfect companion to accompany you into Autumn: The Reader 47. The magazine has a brand new look for its 15th birthday, with original cover art, 'Storm', by Pamela Sullivan. Every issue from now on will feature work from an up-and-coming artist, and we'll be featuring an interview with Pamela on the blog in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, once you've finished admiring the cover and actually opened the magazine, you will find a treasure-trove of new writing, thought-pieces, and reviews, including:

• Janet Suzman's fierce and funny defence of Shakespeare as the author of his own plays
• New fiction from John Kinsella and Christine Shaw
• Rebecca Goss's moving 'The Poet On Her Work'
• Jane Davis's interview with Joseph Gold, a pioneer in the field of reading personally
• 'Sullen Earth', an essay from Grace Farrington reporting the preliminary findings of research on reading groups
• Exciting news about our latest publications A Little, Aloud for Children and the upcoming Brian Nellist edited Minted

This is on top of all the usual features, such as Casi Dylan's keep-in-touch piece for Read to Lead trainees, Brian Nellist's 'The Old Poem' and 'Ask the Reader', and humour from Ian McMillan, as well as lots of new poetry, including the winner of BUPA's Care Home Creative Writing Competition.

If you're already a subscriber then you should be hearing the welcome thud of the magazine through your letterbox any day now, and if not, then what are you waiting for?! You can buy an individual copy for £6.95, or subscribe to receive a full year's worth of Reader literary goodness via our website. For further inquiries, email lizziecain@thereader.org.uk.

Enjoy!