Amy Jones – författare

Chisenhale Gallery launches the second title in its Chisenhale Books series, Nikita Gale: IN A DREAM YOU CLIMB THE STAIRS. Marking the finale of Gale’s Chisenhale exhibition, her first artist’s book contains an intergenerational conversation with conceptual artist Barbara Kruger and a short meditation by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Hilton Als. These feature alongside contributions by artist and Chisenhale Gallery alum P. Staff and Dr. Bénédicte Boisseron, author of Afro-Dog: Blackness and the Animal Question. Through the lens of a multifaceted practice, Gale examines themes of invisibility and audibility, interrogating the dynamic between performer and spectator, structure, and decay. Produced with great care, this extraordinary book is reflective of the artist’s practice. Four visual essays, hand-annotated by Gale – ‘Absence’, ‘Ruin’, ‘Silence’, ‘Dog’ – explore themes central to the work. Nikita Gale: IN A DREAM YOU CLIMB THE STAIRS deploys throw-outs, gatefolds, five different types of papers, and a subtly disruptive design to delve into Nikita Gale’s art.Text by Zoé Whitley, P.Staff, Hilton Als, Barbara Kruger and Dr. Bénédicte Boisseron.Book Design & Creative Direction by Billie Temple.

This book explores how neoliberalism and austerity have affected older people living within a deindustrialised town, utilising a Foucauldian approach and an ethnographic methodology.It seeks to bridge the gap between high sociological theory and a research focus upon older people. The link between the micro (real people, within a real place) and macro (abstract processes) is examined, and a mid-range theory of change is innovatively developed to highlight how older people are having to negotiate national transformations at the everyday level. Key themes within this book include the recreation of human subjectivity, antiwelfarism, the stigmatisation and exclusion of the poor, the fragmentation of the working class, and nostalgia. Innovative terms such as ‘stigma-adaptation’ and ‘abnormal abnormality’ are included to help deepen our knowledge and understanding of the social sciences, to highlight the injustices caused by current global processes, and to ultimately inform change.This book will be of interest to scholars and students across the social sciences, particularly those studying inequalities in the modern world, neoliberalism and the economy, social theory, ageing and older people and community studies, and postgraduates who are seeking to undertake applied research. It would also be valuable for policymakers and service providers.

This book explores how neoliberalism and austerity have affected older people living within a deindustrialised town, utilising a Foucauldian approach and an ethnographic methodology.It seeks to bridge the gap between high sociological theory and a research focus upon older people. The link between the micro (real people, within a real place) and macro (abstract processes) is examined, and a mid-range theory of change is innovatively developed to highlight how older people are having to negotiate national transformations at the everyday level. Key themes within this book include the recreation of human subjectivity, antiwelfarism, the stigmatisation and exclusion of the poor, the fragmentation of the working class, and nostalgia. Innovative terms such as ‘stigma-adaptation’ and ‘abnormal abnormality’ are included to help deepen our knowledge and understanding of the social sciences, to highlight the injustices caused by current global processes, and to ultimately inform change.This book will be of interest to scholars and students across the social sciences, particularly those studying inequalities in the modern world, neoliberalism and the economy, social theory, ageing and older people and community studies, and postgraduates who are seeking to undertake applied research. It would also be valuable for policymakers and service providers.

Bring on the doodles! Zen doodle, that is! In Zen Doodle: Tons of Tangles, you'll find gorgeous images of the best doodle art from around the world. This collection of drawings and painted canvases from dozens of contributors features thousands of tangle patterns and doodle designs to inspire you to doodle anything and everything.Create a mythical, doodled beast or abstract work of art. Draw an inspirational tangled card for a friend or add doodled intrigue to your art journal with patterned shapes. Zen Doodle provides you with the first steps toward creating unique tangled art, including traditional tiles, letterforms, Zendalas, landscapes, four-tile ensembles, paper quilts and more!Inside you'll find:More than 100 pieces of Zen doodled art from 42 artists.Step-by-step instruction to help you begin your own Zen doodles.Four chapters of doodle inspiration: Abstracts, Shapes & Objects, Animals & Beasts, and Friendship & Love.Isn't it time you take your tangles to the next level?

What is the difference between literal and figurative writing? Is there really a secret set of tricks used by top authors to make their writing even better? Why not use these tricks all the time? This excellent little book, by English literature and creative writing tutor Amy Jones, provides a vital introduction to the essential literary devices used by writers for thousands of years to engage and charm their readers, and better describe their worlds in words. WOODEN BOOKS are small but packed with information. "Fascinating" FINANCIAL TIMES. "Beautiful" LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS. "Rich and Artful" THE LANCET. "Genuinely mind-expanding" FORTEAN TIMES. "Excellent" NEW SCIENTIST. "Stunning" NEW YORK TIMES. Small books, big ideas.

Why do some books grab you from the very first line?What did Aristotle have to say about the art of telling stories?Is there a secret structure to stories known by all the best writers? In this neat pocket book, English lecturer Amy Jones describes the clever narrative scaffolds used for thousands of years by novelists and scriptwriters. With helpful examples, diagrams and cartoons, this is an essential reference guide for writers of all ages and disciplines. WOODEN BOOKS are small but packed with information. "Fascinating" FINANCIAL TIMES. "Beautiful" LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS. "Rich and Artful" THE LANCET. "Genuinely mind-expanding" FORTEAN TIMES. "Excellent" NEW SCIENTIST. "Stunning" NEW YORK TIMES. Small books, big ideas.

How do you forge a good plot? Or create convincing characters? Where is the story set? What kind of tale is it? Who tells it, when, and how? Read on to find out. The Story Book is the definitive companion for anyone seeking to understand and craft compelling fiction. Packed with examples, diagrams, insights, and useful techniques, Amy Jones’ Ultimate Writer’s Toolkit is mentor, reference guide, and literary map all rolled into one. Whether you are exploring your first plot twist or refining your twentieth novel, The Story Book will inspire you to write with confidence, clarity, and creative flair. Your stories start here.

What is the best way to tell a story? In first-person peripheral, or third-person focalised? Unfolding in the present, or as events in the past? Where is the camera? What is the lens? Where is the action? In this concise little book, educator Amy Jones describes the different ways that novelists and scriptwriters tell their stories. Packed with examples and insights, this is an essential reference guide for writers of all ages and disciplines. It's not the story, it's how you tell it!

What makes a character interesting? How do you build a convincing character arc? Does every story have a hero? How many shades of villain are there? How does a writer bring their characters alive? In this timeless little book, teacher Amy Jones describes the secret techniques that writers use to create their characters, along with their archetypes, backstories, motivations, modes of dialogue, habits, hopes, fears, flaws, frustrations ... and eventual resolutions and redemptions.

Why does an author set their story where and when they do? How do you describe places and make them real for your reader? Why might you build contrast between multiple settings in your story? In this useful little book, educator Amy Jones describes the various options available to writers for setting their stories in space and time, and outlines the tried and tested literary tricks which authors use to paint these places so vividly in the imagination of their readers.

What is a literary genre? What are tropes? What genre does a creaky door suggest? Or a man and a woman stuck in an elevator? When should you use tropes? When should you avoid them? In this concise little book, educator Amy Jones outlines the archetypal genres of the literary world, illuminating them with classic examples and a garnish of tropes. If you ever wanted to explore the well-trodden ruts and cliches of literary life then this book is for you.

What makes a character interesting? How do you build a convincing character arc? Does every story have a hero? How many shades of villain are there? How does a writer bring their characters alive?   In this timeless little book, lecturer Amy Jones describes the secret techniques that writers use to create their characters, along with their archetypes, backstories, motivations, modes of dialogue, habits, hopes, fears, flaws, frustrations . . . and eventual resolutions and redemptions.

Joshua Leon’s first book accompanies his new commission at Chisenhale Gallery, London. The outcome of two years of writing and documenting his own research processes, the publication comprises original writing by Leon alongside archival imagery. Tracing history, memory and self across time and site, the text traverses locations including a synagogue in Bordeaux, an American bar in Vienna and a veneer factory in London’s East End to reflect on the experiences of the Jewish diaspora in Europe and the formation of contemporary Jewish identity.Throughout, archival materials and images collected by Leon–architectural blueprints, immigration documents, musical scores and family photographs–visually trace slippages between personal and wider social histories. At once a fragment, a memoir and poetic prose, The Process details the varied ideas, intellectual figures and experiences that coalesce in Leon’s work, whilst complicating the role of artistic production in acts of repair, restoration and remembrance.

What Boys Like brings together a motley assemblage of urban misfits and outsiders, and explores their love/hate relationships with their city and one another. Jones's characters grapple with lust, love and loss with an unsentimental eye, while remaining open to the sharp-edged humour caused by the chaotic and random nature of life, and the absurdity of the world around them.