North Star: An almost unmoving point of light. Find it and you will know your way home. This collection of short stories and poems captures the unique voices of forty-five Northern Irish female writers. From mountains to lakes, from country to shore, the words resonate with the literary tradition that cloaks the land and infuses each of our souls. My native land grounds me, keeps me in contact with the rhythms of nature, the sound of the winds, the call of the wild birds and the dialects of its people. Aine MacAodha No matter where you are reading these poems and stories, North Star will guide you home.

The stories in The Vanishing Point are both exotic and domestic, their settings ranging from Hawaii to Africa and New England. Each focuses on life’s vanishing points—a moment when seemingly all lines running through one’s life converge, and one can see no farther, yet must deal with the implications. With the insight, subtlety, and empathy that has long characterized his work, Theroux has written deeply moving stories about memory, longing, and the passing of time, reclaiming his status, once again, as a master of the form.

Sometimes, certain things are not what they seem. With a little bit of luck, it pays to be at the right place at the right time and Stephie Jenkins, a young photographer with no formal education but sheer talent, proved that sometimes opportunities exists are the unlikeliest places. It was a chance in a lifetime when she was offered the job of being the photographer of a rock band, which entailed touring with the band for 6 months and taking photographs for their collection. Every young girl's fantasy is to fall in love with a rock star and be swept off their feet in glitz and glamour. It started out as an infatuation on the lead singer, Chris but as time goes by, she began to develop strong feelings for him. He was involved with another girl at first and paid her minimal attention but her kindness and patience paid off in the end when he broke off with his girlfriend and started a relationship with her. However, Stephie has a secret that will tear their relationship apart. Will Chris ever forgive Stephie when he finds out and will their love survive the different curveballs thrown their way? Only time will tell.

Once she was a princess who smelled of roses and pure delight. Her parents named their new treasure Maysam, in order to reflect all of life's beautiful virtues. With her rich brown eyes, she came to know the world as shapes and sounds. In her mother's sweet voice, she heard only love-and the secret of bliss: "Smile, sweetheart. Smile always and bring happiness to nice people's hearts." Her young life is one without trouble or fear-until things turn upside down as her country is rattled by financial crisis, forcing young Maysam and her family to move in with her grandmother. In that angry household, the young girl learns some of life's more unpleasant lessons. Years pass, and poor Maysam grows into a young, unsociable, and forgotten lady. She struggles to reconnect with the joyful and optimistic child she once was, as the burden of finding her own way in a culture that cannot see the beauty within her wears her down. Lonely, sad, and depressed, she is lost in her own troubles. To protect herself, she builds internal walls around her pain, resigning herself to a fate in which she merely exists, instead of lives. But the joyful child inside refuses to accept this new self-imposed destiny. She vows to find a way to harness the happiness she sees around her. Can Maysam recapture the dreams of her innocent childhood in time to save her life and self-esteem?