Joy//Us update – proofing, barbers and opinions

We don’t stand still while we wait for the Joy//Us crowdfund to mature (like a bond, or a fine cheese…)

The wonderful Muireann has proofed the book, and raised a few minor inconsistencies in punctuation and a misused word, not much really, and corrections have been made.

We’ve chosen the quote to go on the postcards that our sales partners are producing for us. JP Seabright‘s Short Back and Sides:

Joy upon joy upon relief and release upon joy
at finding someone who understands.

the holy therapeutic hair wash, the brush down, the placing
of your life, your look, your history and identity
into another’s careful hands.

Off the back of this, we are doing a photoshoot with JP in a barbers, details to be confirmed.

I’ve written an opinion piece for Diva Magazine, about International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), and fighting hate with joy, because nothing annoys a hater more than us being happy. That will be in the issue that will be out around the same time as we are due to publish. It’s helped me hone my thinking on what the blurb should say!

One for Sorrow, Two for Joy

What do magpies have to do with LGBTQ+ poetry?

cover reveal…

Image by Frank Duffy, Design Jeremy Dixon

We are now in a position to announce the lineup for Joy//Us: Poems of Queer Joy, which we are publishing to coincide with International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) on 17th May 2024.

It’s been a long process, starting in January last year with our first announcement and discussion of what we were looking for, followed by workshops and submissions, shortlisting and then a weekend of shifting printouts about on the big table, making the anthology as joyful and queer as we can.

Trumpets!!

our poets are…

Abhi
Alexander Williams
Annie Kerr
Aoife Mannix
Becky Brookfield
Cherry Potts
Conway Emmett
Dean Atta
Desree
Elizabeth Chadwick Pywell
Elizabeth Gibson
Garnett ‘Ratte’ Frost
Helen Bowie
Jane Aldous
Jeremy Dixon
John McCullough
Joshua Linney
Joshua Jones
Joy Howard
JP Seabright
K. Angel
Kate Foley
Khakan Qureshi, BEM
Laurie B.
Lawrence Wilson
Lydia Fulleylove
Maria Jastrzębska
Mwelwa Chilekwa
P Burton-Morgan
Rab Green
Rick Dove
Robert Hamberger
Sophia Blackwell
Steph Morris
Tanya Erin Sheehan
Tom McLaughlin
Vron McIntyre
Zo Copeland

We are thrilled and proud to be working with these wonderful writers, and have lots of events in the planning. We are going to have to crowdfund to achieve those events, as we didn’t get ACE funding and we don’t expect people to travel far, for no recompense. That’s for the new year, in the meantime, you can help by getting your order in early, so we know how many to print. The bigger the initial order, the cheaper the unit cost and the more there is left to get out and about with this wonderful book.

Cover reveal for May17th

17th May is International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, and to celebrate, we are revealing the cover of upcoming poetry collection, A Voice Coming from Then by Jeremy Dixon, which is published at the end of August.

cover design by Rachel Marsh Semple Press

This is Jeremy’s first full collection, after his pamphlet In Retail a couple of year’s back.

A Voice Coming from Then deals honestly and straightforwardly with homophobic bullying and a youthful suicide attempt, through the presence of Spring-Heeled Jack, a demon of Victorian urban myth. It is illustrated with Jeremy’s collages of family photographs, and also contains statistics and much needed resources.

I don’t mind admitting I cried over the manuscript.

A Voice Coming from Then will also be available as an Audiobook!

 

Here’s one of the poems as a taster.

 

IDAHOBIT 2020 Stories & Poems

Today is International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia.

I’ve already drawn your attention to our marvellous LGBTQI writers of individual collections and novels, so I thought I’d hilight the LGBTQI short story and poetry gems nestling in our anthologies.

 

London Lies: Leaving, Cherry Potts

Stations: All Change at Canonbury, Paula Read

Lovers’ Lies: Tasting Flight, Catherine Sharpe; Mirror, Cherry Potts; Dara Jessica Lott

The Other Side of Sleep: Naming: AD 2006, Alwyn Marriage;The Other Side of Sleep, Kate Foley

Liberty Tales: Tabernacle Lane; Pearls over Shanghai; Flax, San Francisco; all by Jeremy Dixon

Solstice Shorts – Sixteen Stories about Time: Death and Other Rituals, Tannith Perry; Stars, Emma Timpany (not sure that’s what she intended, but I certainly read it that way).

Noon: Under the L, Liam Hogan

An Outbreak of Peace: Surplus Women, Rebecca Skipwith

We/She Desperately Seeking Hephaestion, Elizabeth Hopkinson; Cages, Joanne LM Williams

Departures: Alpaca Moonlight, VG Lee; Over, Joy Howard

You can buy all the books mentioned from our webshop, we will post them out to you.

If you would prefer eBooks, all these books are available from your usual retailer, now VAT free! We recommend Hive for ePub.

Happy IDAHOBIT!

 

Happy #IDAHOBIT everyone, and happy publication day to Cathy Bryant

To celebrate IDAHOBIT (INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA, BIPHOBIA, INTERSEXISM & TRANSPHOBIA) here’s a poem from Cathy Bryant‘s collection, Erratics, published today!!

We are still working on avenue for the official launch, bt Cathy will be reading at Stirred Poetry at 3MT on Oldham Street in Manchester,  on Monday 28th May.

Congratulations Cathy!

Shit People Say to Bisexuals
Cathy Bryant

You’re just greedy, aren’t you?
So when do you think you’ll make up your mind?
Are you a tourist?
When you’re going out with a man, what’s the difference
between you and a straight?
You’re straight really, aren’t you?
When you’re going out with a woman, what’s the difference
between you and a lesbian? You’re gay really, aren’t you?
Do you just want to fuck everybody?
Would you like a threesome? If so, does it have to be with
one of each?
Which is better, sex with a man or with a woman?
I want you to come to more gay events, to make you more gay.
Why not just be straight? After all, you can choose.
Is it just desperation?
Do you just think that no man will want you, but you want
to keep your options open?
Ah, I’m sorry to hear that – you can never settle down or get married, can you?
Well, everyone’s bisexual, aren’t they?
You’re doubly damned because you could choose not to sin.
You are so lucky not to have to deal with any of the
prejudices and preconceptions that we do.
You have it easiest of anyone, don’t you?

copyright Cathy Bryant/ Arachne Press Limited