The Essay

Five writers recall a night they spent somewhere out of the ordinary.Colin Thubron is the first to report back. Thirty years ago he was in a Chinese town, unknown to the rest of the world. His time here was haunted by memories of a merciless leader, whose bed he will sleep in for one night only. One night is enough though ...Producer Duncan Minshull.

In this series of essays, five writers talk about what black and white evokes for them. Beginning with something quite tangible, each piece unfolds to tell a story that is deeply personal and also far-reaching.Poet and writer Salena Godden talks about her relationship with her skin and a particular line from a Leonard Cohen songProduced in Bristol by Siobhan Maguire.

In this series of essays, five writers talk about what black and white evokes for them. Lindsay Johns looks to a black & white photo at his desk for inspiration. The picture of athletes Tommie Smith, John Carlos and Peter Norman on the Olympic podium in 1968 reveals ideas that are central to his writing. Lindsay is a writer, broadcaster and Head of Arts and Culture at Policy Exchange.

In this series of essays, five writers talk about what black and white evokes for them. Writer and filmmaker Xiaolu Guo remembers the lessons she learned from her father as a young girl growing up in Zhejiang province, eastern China. They have stayed with her through her adult life, guiding creative endeavours and personal development, shaping the way that she understands the world.

Five writers talk about what black and white evokes for them. Glyn Maxwell looks at the words on his page and thinks about whether we've all become too black and white, too binary in our digital lives. It's possible that we lost something valuable in the spectrum of grays afforded by analogue.

In this series of essays, five writers talk about what black and white evokes for them. Beginning with something quite tangible, each piece unfolds to tell a story that is deeply personal and also far-reaching.Broadcaster and GP Farrah Jarral talks about what it means to be fluent in something you don't understand. It all starts with the little sticker that decorated the covers of her teenage CD collection.

Heather Jones explores the deadly symbolism of the Howth Mauser

Nicholas Rankin explores the emergence of the deadly 'force reducer' that is the sniper

John Gallagher duels with the noisy story of guns 300 years ago

Brian DeLay reveals the life & arms deals of the most dangerous man you've never heard of