Those looking for a fresh, modern take on poetry and fairy tales are in luck this autumn as two of our massively talented colleagues have released books, offering lockdown poems and gender-swapped stories.

Blessings, Mainly Schoolings is the debut poetry collection from Sophie Leseberg-Smith, aka The Nasty Poet. Sophie has earned her reputation through the London poetry scene, with her work featuring in the likes of Vogue, Nowness and Twin Magazine.

The series of 25 poems, which sheds light on love, loss and growing up, is illustrated by Hannah Hill (aka Hanecdote) and designed by W+K’s Abbey Monteiro, you can get the book here.

W+K Creative Technologist Jonathan Plackett has teamed up with illustrator Karrie Fransman to put a modern spin on classic fairy tales. Jon and Karrie were reading their child stories when they hit upon a dilemma, something previous versions of these stories were missing, and so they decided to make one vital change – switch all genders. It might not sound like much of a change, but you’ll be surprised by the world this swap creates.

The title has already been named Book of the Day by The Guardian and you can get a copy here.

Big congrats to Sophie and Johnny!

Last week, W+K London ECD Iain Tait took to the virtual Advertising Week stage to discuss all things real time. Iain hosted a workshop on how to build a living, breathing brand using game engines, discussing how game engines and what they power — from CGI in The Mandalorian, to complex VR and immersive experiences — are turning industries on their heads.

If you’d like to read more about our take on real-time, check out our Zine here.