In Conversation with A.J Akoto: Impact

Posted on 26/06/2023 by outreacharachne

To celebrate forthcoming publication of Unmothered by A.J Akoto, we caught up with A.J to talk about every aspect of her debut collection, from the inspiration behind it, to her use of myth, and the complexities and challenges of writing about your own life.

“I don’t think it’s speaking to anything that’s destructive to the self, or to the reader, to consider the things that are in these poems”.

In this video, A.J speaks about the process of creating Unmothered, and the impact of its cover and content, with editor and Arachne Director, Cherry Potts.In this video, A.J speaks about the process of creating Unmothered, and the impact of its cover and content, with editor and Arachne Director, Cherry Potts.

See the full cover for Unmothered below, and find out more about artist Kevin Threlfall on Instagram.

Pre-order your copy of Unmothered now or book to join us at an event:

11/07/2023: Poetry Book launch at Housmans Bookshop, Caledonian Road, London
13/07/2023: Online book launch

The what how and why of Story Cities

Posted on 04/08/2019 by Cherry Potts

At the launch of Story Cities, editors Rosamund Davies, Kam Rehal and Cherry Potts talk about the What, How and Why of bringing the book to fruition.

Intrigued? you can order a copy direct from us at our webshop

#Arachne5 thank you Artists

Posted on 04/09/2017 by Cherry Potts

Over the years (five of them!) we’ve published books (16 of them!) and that’s meant we’ve needed covers.

Some of them I’ve done myself either due to lack of funds or because I had a good idea and a photo that would work, others we’ve had competitions to find artists, and yet more we’ve gone back to artists we’ve worked with because we LOVE their designs. (Some we would like to have gone back to but they aren’t doing book covers any more.)

Mostly they are shy folk and don’t much show their faces, but we still want to give them all a thank you.

Thank you to:

Annie Rickard Straus (Lovers’ Lies)

Zoe Lee (The Other Side of Sleep)

Melina Traub (Mosaic of Air)

Gail Brodholt (Stations)

Lucy Reynolds (The Dowry Blade)

Karen Keogh (London Lies, Foraging)

Ed Boxall (Devilskein & Dearlove, The Old Woman from Friuli)

Kevin Thelfall (Weird Lies, With Paper for Feet, Happy Ending NOT Guaranteed)

Gordy Wright (Brat, and forthcoming: Spellbinder, Wolftalker and possibly A Gift of Rivers – no image yet only asked him this week)

Come to the PARTY on the 8th September.

Tour posters have arrived

Posted on 16/02/2017 by Cherry Potts

This could almost pass for organised.

Tour posters for With Paper for Feet and Happy Ending NOT Guaranteed

Just got to get them out to the venues and other willing post-uppers now.

(both cover designs by Kevin Threlfall btw)

2017-02-16-12-50-34

test run with the enormous Solstice Shortsbanner

Posted on 11/12/2014 by Cherry Potts

You buy something on line and when it arrives it is A) ENORMOUS and B) a bit complicated, so the sensible thing is to test how long it takes to put up (8 minutes but it’ll be quicker when I don’t spend three minutes staring at it thinking, that can’t be right – it wasn’t) and take down (3, but then another 5 to pack it all into its carry case.)

Rather fetching though!

Cover Chosen for Lovers’ Lies

Posted on 17/12/2012 by Cherry Potts

It was a tough decision and we would like to thank everyone who put in an entry, But the winner is Annie Rickard Straus, and her delightful goldfish bowl.

This won’t be the absolute final version of the cover, but it will look very similar.

Mosaic of Air Cover Author’s Choice

Posted on 14/12/2012 by Cherry Potts

More cross over here than in the Lovers’ Lies voting. My highlights from the competition were these. (Yes I do know two of these designs were entered for Lovers’ Lies, but they work for Mosaic too). I will be contacting the designers to discuss minor changes before making a final decision. I’ve decided to delay publication of Mosaic of Air for a few months as my happy idea that promoting 2 books would be no more effort than promoting one has proved to be a false hope!

5 silhouette Kevin Threlfall

6 Cloud Lucy Reynolds

1 lying lovers/ 22 women lying Melina Traub

3/21 woman blowing notes away Melina Traub

Lovers’ Lies Cover – Authors vote

Posted on 14/12/2012 by Cherry Potts

So, interesting! Here are the Authors’ top six covers for Lovers’ Lies, in no particular order with the names of the artists. No cross over! Some of the same authors but different designs.

29 B/W couple back to back Harry Williams

8 goldfish bowl Annie Rickard Straus

16 cats like fish Angela Trentin

20 paint blotches Michaela Gajdikova

3/21 woman blowing notes away Melina Traub

21 floating hair/fins ‘goldfish’ Penelope Mazza

Mosaic of Air Public vote top liners

Posted on 13/12/2012 by Cherry Potts

There are, in no particular order, seven potential covers for Mosaic of Air here because the number of votes dropped off so sharply after these seven it was the obvious break. Artists now named.

6 Cloud Lucy Reynolds

23 robots Sinead Jennifer Phillips

15 drape Breeze Annabel Perrin

13 Gabrielle Angela Trentin

Dancers Grid Waltz Through Time Penelope Mazza

5 sillhouette Kevin Threlfall

20 red mosaic Stephanie Smart

The Lovers’Lies Public vote top-liners

Posted on 13/12/2012 by Cherry Potts

Here are the top six (in no particular order) as voted for by the public, with the names of the artists. We will see tonight whether the authors agreed with you. (Post won’t go up until tomorrow, I’m rehearsing Vivaldi Gloria tonight)

25 Dancing Skeletons Death blooms II Sinead Jennifer Phillips

11 vodka bottles Clare Hamilton

10 blue bed Clare Hamilton

9 hand with multi notes Clare Hamilton

13 shop front graffiti Josh Gleave

lovers lies mynah birds brown Annabel Perrin

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Category Archives: Art work

In Conversation with A.J Akoto: Impact

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The what how and why of Story Cities

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#Arachne5 thank you Artists

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Tour posters have arrived

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test run with the enormous Solstice Shortsbanner

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Cover Chosen for Lovers’ Lies

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Mosaic of Air Cover Author’s Choice

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Lovers’ Lies Cover – Authors vote

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Mosaic of Air Public vote top liners

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The Lovers’Lies Public vote top-liners

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