Comma Press

Comma is a not-for-profit independent publisher. Proud founder of the Northern Fiction Alliance.

28/10/2026

A powerful piece from our friend Akram Al-Sourani on the anniversary of the so-called 'ceasefire' in today's Guardian. A 'ceasefire' in which the Israeli occupation has killed more than 1,430 Palestinians in Gaza.

21/10/2026

Only a few tickets left for 'Stories from Syria' at the Arab British Centre: The London Book launch for The Book of Damascus (with editor Zaher Omareen and author Haseeb Al-Zainy) and a special short film showing of 'On Dreams, the Surreal and the Liberation of Syria (and Homs)' with director Julie-Yara Atz.

Tuesday Oct 27 at 6.30pm

Last few tickets available in bio 🎟

20/10/2026

It's a full programme from now till the end of the year, with events spanning from Manchester to Malta, including a world premiere of Sondos Sabra's diaries onstage with the Olivier Award-winning Isango Ensemble in Doha, the international launch of the Book of Valletta in collaboration with the Maltese National Book Council, the chance to catch two brilliant visiting Chinese science fiction writers (Dan Shi and Anna Wu) in conversation with Xueting C. Ni in Manchester and Leeds, and a night of anticapitalist ghost stories with Matthew Holness, Kiare Ladner, Jess Glaisher and Mark Fisher expert Em Colquhoun in London.

All culminating in our annual National Creative Writing Industry Day in December, your opportunity to meet editors, publishers and literary agents here in Manchester.

19/10/2026

Solidarity with the brilliant Hanan Issa and all writers writing against, and under, genocide and erasure.

15/10/2026

Sunday, November 8: an afternoon of Palestinian film and literature at CULTPLEX in Cheltenham Hill, Manchester, raising funds for Sheffield PSC’s Khan Younis Emergency Relief Fund.

Short films from award-winning directors Naji Salameh and Rakan Mayasi will be followed by a reading from Palestinian writer Sondos Sabra (co-author of Voices of Resistance: Diaries of Genocide) and a discussion with Gazan doctor and activist Dr Mona El-Farra, chaired by Basma Ghalayini.

Hind Under Siege (2025, 25 Mins)
Dir: Naji Salameh
Fajrona Film | فجرنا للأفلام
Cast: Sofia Asir, Elina Askar, Dia Harb

Hind Under Siege depicts the harrowing phone call between the Palestinian Red Crescent and six-year-old Hind Rajab, who was murdered by occupation soldiers in 2024 alongside her uncle, aunt, four cousins and two Red Crescent paramedics. Hind Under Siege was awarded the Jury Award for Best Narrative Short Film at the Gaza International Festival for Women's Cinema in Deir al-Balah in October 2025. Featuring Sofia Asir (Moon Knight, Palestine 36).

The Key (2023, 20 Mins)
Dir: Rakan Mayasi
Cast: Saleh Bakri, George Ibrahim, Lana Haj Yahia

Based on a story by the Palestinian writer Anwar Hamed, The Key shows us an Israeli family in a future version of the occupation, unable to escape the promise of the Palestinian right to return. Featuring Saleh Bakri (The Teacher, Palestine 36).

Sondos Sabra is a writer and translator from Gaza City. She is the co-author of 'Voices of Resistance: Diaries of Genocide' alongside the writers Nahil Mohana, Batool Abu Akleen and Ala’a Obaid. She has written for The Guardian and is a regular contributor to The New Statesman. Her diaries have recently been adapted into a play, 'Again' – a UK/South African co-production from Isango Ensemble and Ensemble 84 – which will premiere in Doha, Qatar on October 27.

Mona El-Farra is a Palestinian doctor and human rights activist. She is the former Health Chair of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society of the Gaza Strip and a member of the Gazan Union of Health Work Committees.

All proceeds from Comma's share of ticket sales will go to the Sheffield PSC Khan Younis Emergency Relief Fund.

Special thanks to CU

12/10/2026

Solidarity with our fellow publisher MSJI Press. You can buy Dr Ali Tahrawi's book from them directly with all proceeds going to the author at www.msji.org

Or follow the links to join the mailing list MSJI | Muslim Social Justice Initiative

Do Genocide's Have an Ending by Dr Ali Tahrawi (Ali Tahrawi)

09/10/2026

In times of genocidal imperialism and creeping authoritarianism, the fight for free expression is more important than ever!

08/10/2026

Published today! China +100: Stories from a Century after the Outbreak edited by the brilliant Xueting C. Ni 倪雪婷

Ten short stories from leading Chinese SF writers including: Anna Wu, Dan Shi, He Xi & He Zun, Qiufan Chen, Zhou Dedong, Zhao Haihong, Tang Fei, Lu Hang and Yimei Tanggou

Catch the launch events in Leeds and Manchester with editor Xueting C. Ni and writers Anna Wu and Dan Shi (courtesy of the Confucius Institute at Manchester University)

Tickets free, linked in bio

06/10/2026

It's a busy month of events... starting with the opportunity to see Ahmed Masoud's 'Application 39' (adapted by the author from his story in Palestine +100), then on to a Book of Damascus launch in London with Zaher Omareen and Haseeb Al-Zainy (alongside a special showing of the short film 'On Dreams, the Surreal and the Liberation of Syria and Homs' by director Julie-Yara Atz), two launches for Xueting C. NI's new anthology China +100: Stories from a Century after the Outbreak (at which we are honoured to welcome two visiting authors, Anna Wu and Dan Shi, thanks to the Manchester Confucius Institute), and finally a London event for Monster Capital with Matthew Holness, Kiare Ladner and Jess Glaisher.

All tickets are available through our linktree (linked in bio)

02/10/2026

As Halloween approaches, join us at Bookmarks Bookshop for an evening of readings from Monster Capital: Tales of Modern Unease, a horror anthology inspired by the writing of Mark Fisher. With readings from Matthew Holness, Karen Ladner and Jess Glaisher.

Thursday, October 29
6:30pm
Bookmarks Bookshop
Bloomsbury, London
WC1B 3QE

Tickets £5
Linked in bio

"The most gothic description of Capital is also the most accurate. Capital is an abstract parasite, an insatiable vampire and zombie-maker. The living flesh it converts into dead labour is ours." – Mark Fisher, Capitalist Realism

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