Foreshore has acquired world rights to a book from acclaimed writer Petra F. Bagnardi. It will be published by the Foreshore imprint, Foreshore Books, next Spring. The book was acquired by Phil M. Shirley, publisher-in-chief. “Petra F. Bagnardi is among the most exciting and interesting writers today and we are thrilled to be publishing her book,” said Shirley. “This book is coming out at the perfect time and will be one of the most read and talked about books of 2026.” Teach me how to fly is a multicultural contemporary novel set in the fictitious small Italian town, Orvello. The story centres around a teacher’s move from the bustling New York to the quiet town of Orvello. A splintered community and a challenging class are just the start of his problems. Blending New York and Italy, this story is for the enjoyers of ‘Stoner’ (John Edward Williams) and ‘Dead Poets Society’ (N.H. Kleinbaum). Petra F. Bagnardi is a writer, screenwriter, and poet. Her writing has received awards and notable mentions: The Literary Classics Seal of Approval; Library Journal Self-e Selection; The Royal Dragonfly Book Award, and more. Her poetry has been published by various literary journals and magazines including, Masque & Spectacle Literary Journal, Punk Noir Magazine, Poetica Review, Drawn to the Light Press, and more. Petra was short-listed in the Enfield Poets’ 20th Anniversary Poetry Competition and won second place in the Wax Poetry and Art Magazine’s Poetry Contest. She has also worked for the Italian TV network, RAI.
Foreshore Publishing has acquired Springtime in the Bones (Primavera nos ossos) by Állex Leilla, a controversial, poignant novel, originally written and published in Brazil and translated by Amanda Sarasien. Foreshore Publishing will publish the novel in paperback in March 2026. Springtime in the Bones is a poignant tale of unfulfilled love and vengeance. It follows Luísa, a successful partner at a leading advertising agency in Salvador, whose heart still belongs to her first love, Michel. Despite their five-year marriage and her lingering obsession, Michel has openly embraced his attraction to men, leaving Luísa caught between love and heartache. As the narrative unfolds, we delve into Luísa’s quest for revenge—driven by a traumatic past that the synopsis only hints at: she is a survivor of rape. The most compelling part of the story lies in her relentless pursuit of the men responsible for her trauma. Through meticulous planning and an unyielding desire for retribution, Luísa embarks on a journey that explores themes of empowerment, resilience, and the complexities of love. Foreshore Publishing publisher-in-chief Phil M. Shirley said: ‘We are committed to growing a list of translated fiction, and we couldn’t have a more perfect start than Állex Leilla’s Springtime in the Bones. People want to read things that are pushing the boundaries. We can’t wait to make this incredibly powerful work an unforgettable publication.” Amanda Sarasien is a writer and literary translator working from Portuguese and French. A recipient of a 2022 National Endowment for the Arts Translation Fellowship, her work has appeared in Electric Literature, The Common, Chicago Review of Books, and elsewhere. She is a founding member of the Third Coast Translators Collective (TCTC) and past co-chair of the PEN America Translation Committee, and lives in Chicago. She can be found at amandasarasien.com. Állex Leilla (Alessandra Leila Borges Gomes Fernandes) was born in 1971, in Bom Jesus daLapa, Bahia, Brazil. Her first book, a story collection titled Urbanos, won the 1997 BRASKEM Prize, which the Fundação Casa de Jorge Amado awards to a debut author. Springtime in the Bones is her second novel, published as Primavera nos ossos in 2010, and funded by the Petrobras Cultural Program – the first of only two Northeastern writer to receive this prestigious grant. A professor of Portuguese literature at the Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana (UEFS), Leilla is married to the poet João Filho, and currently resides in Salvador.
