Vindication is an anthology with a difference, only six poets, with between six and ten poems each. In this video, celebrating eight years of Arachne Press, all but one of the poets get together to talk poetry, women and many other things. Complete with readings. We enjoyed outselves so much we are thinking of doing this regularly!
You can buy Vindication from our Webshop. If you want the august discount be quick! add ARACHNEVERSARY at the checkout.
To celebrate National Poetry Day, here are some more poems from the Vindication Launch on September 26th.
(you can buy the book direct from us, or from your favourite bookshop
Carrie Cohen reading Sarah Lawson‘s Driving up to Renfrew
Anne Macaulay reading the title poem, Vindication
Carrie Cohen reading Sarah James‘ Waking Woman
Elinor Brooks reads Consulto et Audacter
Adrienne Silcock reads Bees
It’s publication day, and here are some of the readings from last night’s launch at the Poetry Cafe
Adrienne Silcock reading Drought, Winter 1929
Carrie Cohen reading Sarah Lawson’s Leda
Anne Macaulay reading two flamenco inspired poems, Traje de Lunares and Palmas Return
Carrie Cohen reading Sarah James’ Ye Olde Tavern
Elinor Brooks What Country, Friends…
We are launching Vindication on Wednesday 26th September 19:00-21:00
at the Poetry Café 22 Betterton Street London WC2H 9BX
with readings from Jill Sharp, Elinor Brooks, Adrienne Silcock, and Anne Macaulay
The Sarah’s (James and Lawson) can’t join us, but we hope their friends will come anyway!
Everyone Welcome, but please RSVP!
Vindication is part of Arachne Press’ celebration of #WomenVote100, Poems from Sarah James, Sarah Lawson, Jill Sharp, Elinor Brooks, Adrienne Silcock and Anne Macaulay.
A showcase for poets published previously by Arachne Press in our anthologies The Other Side of Sleep, Shortest Day Longest Night and Liberty Tales, given an opportunity to explore a wider perspective with up to 10 poems each, wild, audacious, silly, and deeply serious.
On the subject of poetry – we will be at FREE VERSE Poetry Book Fair
Today is International Women’s Day, in the centenary year of partial suffrage for women.
So an important day for women, but, you know, women are women every day, and there’s still plenty of work to be done, on all sorts of fronts, so celebrate and then roll up your sleeves…
Our small contribution is to do what we do anyway, but do more of it. We are publishing a number of books over the next nine months and most (not all) will be by women.
April
Kate Foley Poetry Collection: A Gift of Rivers
Kate is reading from the collection at Gay’s the Word on 5th April and we are investigating a launch in Amsterdam.
May
Cathy Bryant Poetry Collection: Erratics.
Cathy and Kate are taking part in a seminar on diversity and inclusivity in the poetry world at London Book Fair on 10th April at 17:30 at the ‘Poet’s Corner’
June
The final installment of The Naming of Brook Storyteller: Wolftalker arrives from Ghillian Potts.
Also in June we have the official launch of Dusk which will also kick off thinking about 2018’s Solstice Shorts festival, Dawn!
July Five by Five: 5 short stories each by Katy Darby, Joan Taylor-Rowan, Cassandra Passarelli, Sarah James, Helen Morris
August
We are teaming up with Liars’ League for our official #womensvote100 anthology, We/She featuring stories about women by women. Final line up yet to be finalised but expect stories from:
Carolyn Eden, Katy Darby, Elizabeth Hopkinson, Elisabeth Simon, Elizabeth Stott, Fiona Salter, Ilora Choudhury, J. A. Hopper, Arike Oke, Jennifer Rickard, Jenny Ramsay, Lucy Ribchester, Peng Shepherd, Rosalind Stopps, Joanne L. M. Williams, Swati Khurana, Uschi Gatward.
September
Vindication: an anthology of up to 10 poems each from
Sarah James, Sarah Lawson, Jill Sharp, Elinor Brooks, Adrienne Silcock and Anne Macaulay
November
We are commemorating the end of WWI with poetry and short story anthology An Outbreak of Peace.
As it is National Poetry Day I thought it a good moment to give a round-up of all things poetical on the Arachne front: so first up some EVENTS:
Kate Foley reads the long narrative poem The Don’t Touch Garden from her about-to-be-published book of that title with integral music from Sylvia Fairley and Valerie Shelley.
9th October 7.30pm
Woodbridge Library
New Street, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 1DT
Tickets £3 (including a glass of wine) Available at the library counter
Buy The Don’t Touch Garden Now
Cathy Bryant has just launched her first historical mystery novel Pride & Regicide, a Mary Bennett novel (yes, that Mary Bennett)
Geraldine Green has been combining being writer in residence at Brantwood in Cumbria with a poetry tour of America.
j.lewis has had literally dozens of poems published since his early outing with us with Grass was Taller in The Other Side of Sleep.
Jennifer A McGowan had some good news – but can’t say what until mid-October. Hmm… intriguing.
Kate Foley was runner-up in the Proms poetry competition and had her poem read by the marvellous Carolyn Pickles on Radio 3. The link here is good for a week or so still I think.
Adrienne Silcock‘s poetry pamphlet “Taking Responsibility for the Moon” was published October 2014 and she has been reading from it hither and thither as well as “Rhythms” from The Other side of Sleep. She has just started tutoring creative writing for York University Centre for Lifelong Learning, on a part-time basis,and has instigated a small informal poetry group in Whitby.
Sarah Lawson has translated an exceptionally interesting book The Strength to Say No (La force de dire non) written by Rekha Kalindi with the help of French journalist Mouhssine Ennaimi. Rekha is a Bengali girl who refused to get married at the age of 11. . Peter Owen published Sarah’s translation from French in June here, and now it has come out in India with Penguin Viking,
A chance to join in…
Call out still live for Longest Night for the next couple of weeks – poems or short stories for performance on the winter solstice, ( a mini Solstice Shorts event) and maybe an anthology.
Deadline: 21st October 2015 23:59.
And continued call out for the Liberty Tales anthology, on the subject of liberty and or the Magna Carta.
Deadline: 21st December 2015 23:59.
Entry open now via our Submittable Account Sharpen you quills.
We had a grand and lively audience and a beautiful day for our trip to Grange-over-Sands. Here are some recordings of poems read by poets at the event
If you would like to hear more from The Other Side of Sleep, head to the Oxfam Bookshop in Cheltenham this Saturday,25th April at 2:30 for a completely different collection of poets.
We are continuing to launch The Other Side of Sleep with more events through November.
Saturday 8th November Middlesborough: Westgarth Social Club, 99 Southfield Rd, Middlesbrough, TS1 3EZ. Doors open 7pm. £3 entry. Readings from Adrienne Silcock, p.a. morbid (accompanied by Kev Howard), Judi Sutherland. Also performing are Kirsten Luckins and Emma Whitehall.
Saturday 15th November Amsterdam: The English Bookshop, Lauriergracht 71 Amsterdam 4pm. Readings from Kate Foley, Robin Winckel-Mellish, Simon Brod, Sam Small, plus music from Daniel Brouns.
SHORT STORY WEEK: Wednesday 19th November 7.30pm South London:
The Story Sessions, Cafe of Good Hope, 216 Hither Green Lane, SE13 6RT £3
Readings from Anne Macaulay, Inua Ellams, Jennifer A McGowan, Bernie Howley.
Also reading but not in the book, Anny Knight and Gloria Sanders and hopefully a couple more poets,including you? Join in with flash from the floor.
PLUS! We will be announcing the WINNERS of the SOLSTICE SHORTS FESTIVAL SHORT STORY COMPETITION.
We’ve already posted some of the video from the London Launch of The Other Side of Sleep for Simon, Alwyn and Kate.
Here are snippets of the other performances from the evening.
Adrienne Silcock, Rhythms
Jeremy Dixon, In Retail (XXIII)
Sarah Lawson, Revenant
Anne Macaulay, I went to the market and I bought…
Lisa Rose reading Troy: Seven Voices on behalf Jennifer A McGowan
We are launching our newest book, The Other Side of Sleep in a series of events over the end of September and beginning of October. This is the (north) London one, being held in conjunction with our very first Art exhibition. The book is another first for us, as it is poetry.We always said we’d do poetry and now here we are doing it. In Style, with Long Narrative poems, minimum 40 lines (if you have ever thought about sending poetry to a publisher or a competition you will understand the significance!) Other launches, minus art work, in Oxford and Brighton, and later in south London, Middlesbrough and Amsterdam!
Join poets Adrienne Silcock, Alwyn Marriage, Bernie Howley, Elinor Brooks, Jennifer A McGowan, Jeremy Dixon, Kate Foley, Sarah Lawson, Simon Brod, and possibly others for readings, chat, a modest amount of drink, and books, obviously. Possibility of music, possibility of Cake… although it’s a very busy week so possibly not cake. All happening at
The Long Gallery, Lauderdale House, Waterlow Park, Highgate Hill N6 5HG
(REALLY sorry, owing to great age of the house there is no lift to the long gallery).
PLEASE RSVP if you would like to come.