Cafe by Wren's St James-in-the-Fields, Lunchtime

ANNA BLASIAK. Poet, translator, journalist and literature co-ordinator of the European Literature Network. Writes poetry in Polish and in English: Off_Press, Women Online Writing, Exiled Ink, The Blue Nib, Ink Sweat and Tears, The Queer Riveter and Modern Poetry in Translation. Anna has translated over 40 books from English into Polish and some fiction from Polish into English - by Mariusz Czubaj, Wioletta Grzegorzewska, Jan Krasnowolski, Kaja Malanowska, Daniel Odija, Mirka Szychowiak, Irit Amiel and Renia Spiegel and poetry by Maria Jastrzebska (Cedry z Walpole Parl / The Cedars of Walpole Park, co-translated with Wioletta Grzegorzewska and Pawel Gawronski), Mary O'Donnell, Nessa O'Mahony, Vesna Goldsworthy, Martina Evans, Elzbieta Wojcik-Leese, Tishani Doshi and Pascale Petit - and, into English, by Mirka Szychowiak, Radoslaw Wisniewski and Edward Pasewicz. In addition to her book-length translations, her work has been published in Best European Fiction 2015, Asymptote, The Guardian, B O D Y Literature, Modern Poetry in Translation and York Literary Review. More: annablasiak.com. LISA KALLOO is an emerging queer, BAME, British artist/photographer of Indian/West Indian heritage. Studied law. Moved away from it. Rejected materialistic ambitions. Swayed towards creative pursuits. Coming from a British Indo-Caribbean background, she explores as many cultures as possible. Born in London. Raised in Basingstoke. Studied in Wolverhampton. Lives in Ramsgate. She takes a mindful approach to life focusing on elements of stillness, compassion and empathy and applies them to photography, combining with Eastern philosophies she learnt as a child and later in life. She sells a few limited edition prints. Takes part in select exhibitions and installations. Lends herself to illustrations for books and for small companies. Runs a very small photography workshop teaching the basics of this art. People are her hobby. In small quantities. Large numbers overwhelm her. Street photography sees her out there, usually dressed as a shadow, but in her element. More at lisakalloophotography.co.uk

"I knew that Lisa Kalloo (photography) and Anna Blasiak (poetry) were good but not this good! I’ve just been reading their new book, from cover to cover and back again. It is astonishingly beautiful, the poetry is exquisite, quietly observed, perfect and hits you in the heart; the photos are magical and inspired, riotously gorgeous and moving interpretations of daily life. And of course – only the best translators!” Rosie Goldsmith, Director of the European Literature Network; "Anna's poems make me think of the verse of the Swiss French poet Phillippe Jaccottet. She seems to be interested in analogies of life events, mysteries that are invisible at first instance, slips of tongue, contrasts, things held back, hidden moods and emotions. Just like Anna's poems, Lisa's photos capture and arrest details, writings, colours, lights and shadows, as well as textures of the world, they are snapshots, images captured as if by chance on a journey." WIOLETTA GREG; "I love the restrained poetic voice, vivid images, the stillness and delicate quietness in Anna Blasiak’s poetry. I love the photos by Lisa Kalloo in the book too; very poetic choice, great sensibility.” Milan Šelj