Image by Stefan Keller
Guest edited by Zoe Turner, Comma Press
Dear writers, readers and friends,
For your March inspiration, we offer otherworldly vibes via a fantastical image by Stefan Keller. This scene, with its juxtaposition of worlds, is a nod to our core objective: bring together the worlds of artists and writers to create something spectacular. A wonderful offshoot of this aim is the way our platform also brings us together with like-minded publishers, so we are thrilled to unveil the March issue in collaboration with Comma Press (https://commapress.co.uk/) , an indie publisher whose work we have long admired. Like us, Comma Press celebrates the alchemy of collaboration with collections by new and established authors, interdisciplinary collaborations between authors and experts (e.g. writers + scientists), and translation by voices from across the world, including the first ever collection of science-fiction from Palestine, Palestine +100 (https://commapress.co.uk/books/palestine-100/) . They have twice been shortlisted for the British Book Awards for ‘Small Press of the Year’
(North of England) and in 2016 they founded the Northern Fiction Alliance (http://northernfictionalliance.com/) alongside Peepal Tree Press, Dead Ink Books and And Other Stories. The Alliance is a radical publishing collective showcasing the creativity, diversity and outward-looking agenda that sets publishers in the North of England apart. Since our co-founder Preti moved to the North-East a year ago this March, now seems a good time to celebrate that anniversary with the best of Northern England’s publishing.
We kick off with a brilliant prose piece by Gaia Holmes, a freelance writer and creative writing tutor who works with schools, universities, libraries and other community groups throughout the West Yorkshire region. She runs ‘Igniting The Spark’, a weekly writing workshop at Dean Clough, Halifax, and is the co-host of ‘MUSE-LI’, an online writing group. She has had three full length poetry collections published by Comma Press: Dr James Graham’s Celestial Bed (2006), Lifting The Piano With One Hand (2013), Where The Road Runs Out (2018) and Tales from the Tachograph, a collaborative work with Winston Plowes (Calder Valley Poetry, 2017). She also contributed to Comma’s latest horror anthology, The New Abject (https://commapress.co.uk/books/the-new-abject) , and she is currently turning her attention towards writing short stories.
Sarah Schofield (http://icallitresearch.blogspot.com/) , on page two, also contributed to Comma’s horror anthology, The New Abject (https://commapress.co.uk/books/the-new-abject) , and her stories have been published in Lemistry, Bio-Punk, Thought X, Beta Life, Spindles and Conradology (all Comma Press) Wall: Nine Stories from Edge Hill Writers, (EHUP) Best of British Short Stories 2020 (Salt) Spilling Ink Flash Fiction Anthology, Back and Beyond Arts Publication, Litfest’s The Language of Footprints, Synaesthesia Magazine, Lakeview International Journal, Woman’s Weekly and others. She has been shortlisted on the Bridport and the Guardian Travel Writing Competition and won the Orange New Voices Prize, Writer’s Inc and The Calderdale Fiction Prize. An excerpt from her story ‘The Bactogarden’ featured on BBC Radio 4’s Open Book. Sarah is an Associate Tutor of Creative Writing at Edge Hill University and runs writing courses and workshops in a variety of community settings. Her debut short
story collection is due out in 2021 with Comma Press.
On page three, we welcome Karline Smith (https://www.blacksapphirepress.com/) . Born to Jamaican parents who arrived in Britain in the 1960s, Smith was one of the first black female crime writers to deal with the subject of drug gangs in inner-city Britain. She is the author of three novels, Moss Side Massive, which was dramatised by Liverpool’s Unity Theatre, Full Crew, and Goosebumps and Butterflies are Fairy Tales (published by Black Sapphire Press). She is also the author of several short stories, variously published in The City Life Book of Manchester Short Stories (Penguin), M.O.: Crimes of Practice, and Resist (Comma). She is currently working on her fourth novel.
And on page four we feature Gregory Norminton (http://www.gregorynorminton.co.uk) , whose novels include The Ship of Fools (2002), Arts and Wonders (2004), Ghost Portrait (2005) and Serious Things (2008), all published by Sceptre. Other books include The Lost Art of Losing (2012), Thumbnails (2013) and Beacons – stories for our not so distant future (editor, 2013). His stories have appeared on BBC Radio 4, and in Prospect, Resurgence, London Magazine and The Lonely Crowd. He teaches creative writing and English at Manchester Metropolitan University.
You’ll notice a large learning toward prose this month. In our recent survey a few people mention that there’s a heavy leaning toward poetry on Visual Verse. May these prose/prose-poetry pieces signal to all writers that we accept (and, indeed, welcome) all kinds of writing, not just poetry.
So, what will you write? As always, the image is the starting point, the text is up to you.
Kristen, Preti, Lucie, Isabel and Luke
with huge thanks to our guest editor Zoe Turner and Comma Press
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