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Kristin Hersh

Throwing Muses frontwoman and critically acclaimed solo artist Kristin Hersh meditates on the future of her craft in this wry, existential and passionate addition to Melville House UK's new FUTURES series.

Over a long, hot Christmas in Australia, Kristin Hersh considers her future as a songwriter. Is it possible to create music and not show off about it? How can artists establish and refine a following without becoming part of the commercial problem? And just how many times is it healthy to watch It's a Wonderful Life in three weeks?

In The Future of Songwriting, Hersh chooses to interrogate these questions through dialogue. From in-depth conversations with a comedian friend about the similarities between songs and jokes, via a fruitful visit to Sydney's 'bone museums', to a revelation from a herbal healer in New Orleans, she delivers a fierce, funny and existential meditation on the art of the song – and its future.

Melville House UK

The FUTURES Series

The Future of Songwriting

Ros Taylor

A revealing exploration into how trust defines our lives, how it can be won and lost, and what its future might look like, in this fascinating addition to Melville House UK's new FUTURES series.

In a society battered by economic, political, cultural and ecological collapse, where do we place our trust, now that it is more vital than ever for our survival? How has that trust – in our laws, our media, our governments – been lost, and how can it be won back? Examining the police, the rule of law, artificial intelligence, the 21st century city and social media, Ros Taylor imagines what life might be like in years to come if trust continues to erode.

Have conspiracy theories permanently damaged our society? Will technological advances, which require more and more of our human selves, ultimately be rejected by future generations? And in a world fast approaching irreversible levels of ecological damage, how can we trust the custodians of these institutions to do the right thing – even as humanity faces catastrophe?

The Future of Trust

Chris Stephen

From Russia to The Democratic Republic of Congo to Myanmar, Chris Stephen ponders the future of prosecuting war criminals who think themselves untouchable in this timely new book, part of Melville House UK's FUTURES series.

As the world grows increasingly turbulent, war crimes justice is needed more than ever. But it is failing. The International Criminal Court in the Netherlands, the world's first permanent war crimes court, opened in 2002 but it has jailed just five war criminals to date. Meanwhile, wars continue to rage around the globe. So what has gone wrong, and can it be fixed?

Journalist and war correspondent Chris Stephen takes a colourful look at the erratic history of war crimes justice, and the pioneers who created it. He examines its shortcomings, and options for making it more effective, including the case for prosecuting the corporations and banks who fund warlords. Casting the net wider, he examines alternatives to war crimes trials, and peers into the minds of war criminals themselves.

With war law advocates fighting for justice on one side, and reluctant governments unwilling to relinquish control on the other, will the world of the future be governed by rule-of-law, or might-is-right?

The Future of War Crimes Justice

Rhys Thomas

A funny, punchy manifesto for a better Welsh experience in decades to come, told with local insight and winning passion – part of Melville House UK's new FUTURES series.

Wales is a nation of contradictions. It boasts incredible natural resources and crushing poverty; fierce patriotism and a stark north/south divide; an energy surplus, and some of the highest bills in the UK. It also has a famously rugby-mad culture – but its revitalised football team is lighting up international tournaments. So what's going on?

Rhys Thomas hails from Laugharne – the village on which, it is rumoured, Dylan Thomas based Under Milk Wood's 'Llareggub' (read it backwards). In this affectionate investigation into his home country, via Welsh geography, food, culture and sport, he aims for the heart of its contrasts. In doing so, he builds a mosaic-like image of Wales today – and how it might look in the future.