Events at our Cover Art Exhibition – BSL tour, Diaspora Poetry/Art conversation

Arachne Press: Ten Years of Book Cover Art, continues until 15th February
Tuesdays to Fridays 11-5 and Saturdays 11-4
Stephen Lawrence Gallery University of Greenwich
10 Stockwell Street, Greenwich London
SE10 9BD

More information about the exhibition can be found here

As part of the exhibition, we have two LIVE IN PERSON events at the gallery

Tuesday 7th February 6.30 BSL interpreted curator tour with Cherry Potts and Deaf artist, Nina Thomas.

Recently, we have been choosing cover artists who share the experience of our authors, and for our Deaf anthology, What Meets the Eye, we asked Nina Thomas to provide the cover. Her complex, multi-layered photographic creations perfectly captured the theme of Movement that we chose for the book.

Join us for a BSL interpreted wander around the exhibition and find out about books, book covers, art, and putting on an exhibition.

BSL interpetation provided by Paul Michaels

 Details and  Free tickets

Tuesday 9th February 6pm Routes, Imagining the Diaspora with artist, Suman Gujral and poet, Rhiya Pau:

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Suman and Rhiya met when we chose Suman’s Story Plate for the cover of Rhiya’s poetry collection Routes. Both are inspired by their families’ journeys and the diaspora more generally.
Join them for a poetry reading, art sharing, discussion of where their work intersects, and a short hands-on workshop making poetry boats, which you can take home, or leave to be displayed in the gallery.
You might want to bring a favourite pen, relevant newspaper articles or family photos printed onto (both sides of) paper that will easily fold.
Free tickets

NOTE!! Stephen Lawrence Gallery is in STOCKWELL STREET, not to be confused with Stephen Lawrence Centre or Building also in Greenwich.

Arachne Press Ten Years of Book Cover Art

Arachne Press: Ten years of Book Cover Art

Online Exhibition Catalogue

Arachne Press is celebrating its tenth anniversary, and with it, successful collaborations with artists on the covers of their books. We will be holding an exhibition with our long time collaborators the Stephen Lawrence Gallery in Greenwich SE10. from January 19th to February 15th, with a private view on the evening of January 18th.

The Gallery is at

10 Stockwell Street London SE10 9BD accessed via the University of Greenwich reception next door – there is a door, but it is for fire escape only! The Gallery is open Tuesday-Friday: 11am-5pm Saturday: 11am-4pm

We will be exhibiting some of the original art that was licenced/ commissioned, and for the commissions, some of the drafts the work went through to end up with the cover, and some of the objects that inspired covers.

Back in 2012 all the publishing chat was about how eBooks were going to replace print, but Arachne founder Cherry Potts was certain that all that would disappear would be ugly, badly made books.

Right from the start the intention was that Arachne’s books would be beautiful, and that where possible, artists would be used, and the cover image would wrap all the way round the book.

When choosing a manuscript, if Cherry starts planning the cover before she’s finished reading, the book is almost certainly going to be published, which means that the search for the right artist is as important as the search for new writing.

Initially that meant licencing existing images, but quickly moved on to commissioning as well. Arachne Press has worked with some of our artists regularly, [Kevin Threlfall, Fiona Humphrey, Gordy Wright]  others have been suggested by the authors for a particular project [Paul Summers, Camille Smethwick, Rachel Marsh]; and sometimes, when the image in her head is so clear nothing else will do, Cherry rolls up her sleeves and makes a cover herself. For more details of all our cover artists take a look at our artists page.

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Announcement! 2023 Festival, Exhibition and Poetry Titles

We are delighted to let you know that we have a grant confirmed from Arts Council England, which will allow us to hold our 10th Anniversary online festival, of workshops and readings, and an exhibition of cover art at Stephen Lawrence Gallery in Greenwich, both in January 2023, and to publish the following poetry titles:

February: Saved to Cloud by Kate Foley
March: More Patina than Gleam by Jane Aldous
April: The Arctic Diaries by Melissa Davies
May: Unmothered by A.J. Akoto

We are thrilled, not to say relieved, to be able to continue publishing and to celebrate our 10th anniversary in style.

More information as details firm up!

Women on the Move: Poetry and Flash for International Women’s Day

To celebrate the launch of Emma Lee‘s new poetry collection The Significance of a Dress, we are holding an event at the Stephen Lawrence Gallery, University of Greenwich, 10 Stockwell Street, Greenwich SE10 9BD on the actual day SUNDAY 8TH MARCH 2pm.

Emma will be joined by Jenny Mitchell (Time and Tide, whose idea it was). Michelle Penn (Dusk, Noon, Time and Tide), Shamini Sriskandarajah (Story Cities), Claire Booker (Time and Tide), Laila Sumpton (Dusk, Noon) and Sarah Lawson (The Other Side of Sleep, Vindication, Departures), and there will be an open mic session, and very possibly cake.

The notional theme is women on the move, but this is being widely interpreted.

If you would like to take part in the open mic with on-theme poetry or flash fiction, please contact us, or sign up on arrival, there are a maximum of 6 500-word-limit slots.

Tickets by donation to cover travel expenses for the readers.

looking forward to Story Cities in Greenwich

Story Cities hits the shops on 13th June, but you will have to wait for the LAUNCH PARTY until… Thursday 20th June, 7pm

Stephen Lawrence Gallery, 10 Stockwell Street SE10 9BD

Everyone welcome, FREE but please book a ticket so we know how many to cater for.

Launch party featuring readings of flash fictions from Jayne Buxton, Annabel Banks, Shamini Sriskandarajah,Sarah-Clare Conlon, Maja Bodenstein, Evleen Towey, Kam Rehal, Máire Malone, Roland Denning, Jasmin Kirkbride, Rosamund Davies and Cherry Potts.

There will be cake. Of course. I’m think of a little forest of gingerbread buildings stuck into something chocolately…

Just before that, editors Rosamund, Cherry and Kam will be doing a panel discussion at Greenwich Book Festival Room QA065 Queen Anne Court Greenwich University Old Naval College Greenwich SE10 9LS at 10am on Saturday 15th June FREE but you will need a ticket.

Launching Dusk

DUSK, the latest Solstice Shorts Festival anthology – two events…

We are doing a pre-launch event at the St John’s Festival at
St John’s Church 353 Bromley Road SE6 2RP (opposite Homebase)
with readings by Cherry Potts, Laila Sumpton, Michelle Penn and hopefully Katerina Watson
on 20th June 12 noon so if you are local, come along!

And then, the book is formally launched

on 21st June 7pm (The Summer Solstice, appropriately)
at Stephen Lawrence Gallery
10 Stockwell Street SE10 9BD

Access is via the university reception 2 doors closer to the corner with Greenwich High Road.

lots of the authors (though not all, sadly) are coming and there will be readings and drinks and nibbles – and, if I have the energy, a cake.

Closest public transport Cutty Sark DLR, Greenwich(Southeastern) lots of buses stop nearby

177, 180, 199, 386, N199, 188,

The stop you want coming from Lewisham/Blackheath or New Cross is H Greenwich High Road/Roan Street
from Deptford Greenwich Centre/Cutty Sark
Coming in the other direction, you want stop E Greenwich Town Centre/ Nelson Road or for buses heading to Lewisham/New Cross the stop after, K Royal Hill.

Provisional line up (just waiting for all the readers to confirm)

Rob Schofield  Four Beaches (Extract)

Pippa Gladhill In-Between Dog (Extract)

Kelly Davis        Calling Them In

Fiona Salter      On the Evening Train (Extract)

John Bevan       Afterglow

Lisa Kelly           Match Girl

Rosalind Stopps 123,123 (Extract)

Michelle Penn  End of Ramadan