Division Street by Morgan Westwood Cooke

Morgan Westwood-Cook takes us on a gorgeous poetic meander through the beauty of a city waking from lockdown. As it stretches out of its quiet corners, it realises it is somewhat changed – but are its people?

This a street for busy feet. The mark of a bunch of arrows and a pile of wheat. A car rolls by, its engine humming as it comes to a stop. Echoes of conversation are carried by the wind to anyone listening with the smell of fresh fish from the ice that lines the butchers’ side of a feast of meat and pies. Tea and takeout are now this streets business, they cannot stop or rest.

Our Streets Unmasked commissioned seven stories in three parts, asking young and emerging writers to write pieces that reflected the changing faces, real and imagined, of the places we live as they took off their masks and woke from their lockdown slumber. Notebook in hand, writers visited their chosen location on three dates to gather inspiration for their three-part story conjuring often surreal and magical changes within them. All commissioned writers received advice, editorial guidance and a small fee. More about Our Streets Unmasked here.