Seasonal Greetings!

 

Wishing all our readers, writers and supporters a wonderful festive period and a great start to 2025! Thank you for being with us this year -- and here's to many more to come!

In the New Year...

2025 marks ten years since V. Press started publishing solo-authored pamphlets and collections. 

V. Press is very very delighted to be starting this anniversary year with the publication of The Price of Happiness by Nikki Robson.

The Price of Ηappiness

“The Price of Ηappiness neither holds back nor wastes a word in its tale of a marriage from unsettling omens (‘Goodness, I’m weeping said Mum’) to full-blown violent coerciveness (‘the sore in the wall/where the dinner was thrown’) and out through the numbness and the decree absolute to the glimmers of a new life (‘it crackled like fireworks,/illegal for so long’). You barely take a breath before you’re holding it in shock at the damage we do each other in the altogether too close up of a dysfunctional relationship. It is a tribute to Nikki Robson’s skill that this is accomplished without sentiment, catching our attention and our compassion entirely through telling detail and command of phrasing – these poems are constantly quotable in their exactitude – ‘my label of a husband’; ‘my mummy-smile’; ‘this Vitruvian boy’ – and are nowhere more moving than in their grasp of the impact on the children: ‘[I] tried to describe the end of her world/as the beginning of another’.” W. N. Herbert

“‘The divorced cannot/bury their dead.’ Nikki Robson scours that truth, asks where it leads. We are used to graphic detonations of trauma, but here, the poet, well able to apply her ‘mummy-smile’, layers words, finds metaphor, draws deeply on sources and places. Unfolding her narrative, she never neglects a poet's first responsibility: to language. These poems haunt as mere shock cannot.” Beth McDonough

The Price of Happiness is very visceral and very contemplative.

ISBN: 978-1-7394122-4-1
34 pages
R.R.R.P. £6.99

A sample poem from The Price of Happiness, which is now also available for pre-ordering, can be enjoyed here.

The Festive Period

If you're still looking for Christmas presents -- for yourself or others! -- then here's a few to consider or check out our Bookshop for all our titles.*

This autumn saw another new print run of Michael Loveday's Three Men on the Edge, which was  shortlisted for the Saboteur Awards 2019 Best Novella.

Many of our titles do go on to new print runs, with some also selling out entirely. So, if you're after a particular title, please do order quickly!

2024 titles: The Trajectory of Ghosts (flash fiction chapbook) by Tom Vowler; Robins, Feathers, Pearls (poetry chapbook) by Ella-Louise Fisher,  The Love Trio (LT) Bundle, The Mothering Trio (MT) Bundle, The Narrative Poetry Duo (NPD) Bundle, The Narrative Poetry Trio (NPT) Bundle, The V. Press Prize for Poetry Trio (VPPPT) Bundle,  Fire and Bees (poetry chapbook) by Bethan Rees

2023 titles: Brother (poetry chapbook) by Sheila Lockhart; Turn Around When Possible (poetry collection) by Martin Zarrop, Not Enough Rage (poetry collection) by Gram Joel Davies, (m)othersongs (poetry chapbook) by Sarah Doyle, Dancing in Babylon (poetry chapbook) by Elaine Baker, Braised in Wine (illustrated poetry chapbook) by D.D. Holland, The Human Portion (poetry chapbook) by Nicola Warwick

2022 titles: Powerless Rangers (poetry chapbook) by Jack McGowan, The Beautiful Open Sky (poetry chapbook) by Hannah Linden, Creature Without Building (poetry chapbook) by Ray Vincent-Mills, You'll need an umbrella for this (poetry collection) by Victoria Richards

* NB When ordering, please be aware that orders are usually processed within 48 hours of their placing, with second class postage for the UK. If ordering for Christmas or another particular date, please do make sure to order sufficiently in advance for their delivery.

And more...

If it's a little late to order a physical book and are looking for something to read immediately, then our flash fiction eBooks (The Chemist's House, The Neverlands, Alice in Wonderland Syndrome and Set a Crow to Catch a Crow) can all be purchased through Amazon. 

Launching The Trajectory of Ghosts

V. Press is very very excited to announce the publication of The Trajectory of Ghosts by Tom Vowler.

“Tom Vowler takes us into the thick of the moment with slow confident detail that makes us poise within time, where actions have distinct consequences and there is a path taken through havoc. He captures what happens at the intersection of human fragility and the might of nature, using language that caresses and haunts.”
Catherine McNamara

“Beautifully written bite-sized stories, exploring ghosts and hauntings and loss. Stimulating and satisfying – a splendid collection.”
Alison Moore

The Trajectory of Ghosts is very ethereal and very necessary. 

ISBN: 978-1-7394122-3-4
36 pages
R.R.P. £6.99

A sample flash fiction from The Trajectory of Ghosts can be enjoyed below.

BUY The Trajectory of Ghosts NOW using the paypal options below. [The Trajectory of Ghosts is out in October 2024; pre-orders are posted out in the week of publication.]

The Trajectory of Ghosts (with p&p options)

The Trajectory of Ghosts (with p&p for UK delivery) £8.99 GBP The Trajectory of Ghosts (with p&p for Rest of World delivery) £19.50 GBP

N.B. Any international customs/duty charges are the buyer's responsibility.

Ghost Rock

We’re losing the moon, you say. It’s past midnight and we are sitting in the rubble of our eight-year coupling, sipping cheap red wine in a pool of moonlight on the kitchen floor. You’ve told me this before, but I indulge you as you articulate this little-known quirk of astrophysics, how our ghost rock is gradually slipping its orbit, an inch or so a year, the rate a fingernail grows. You are wearing the burgundy jumper we fought for custody of, its scent now a blend of our odours. I consider the division of other nouns we’ve accumulated: CDs, furniture, friends. The tidal bulge caused by the moon always sits just ahead of it, you continue, the force slinging the moon outwards, like being on a roundabout. I have to teach a writing class in the morning and, for a second, I marshal sufficient pragmatism to note this phenomenon as a potential prompt. Lunar poetry can occupy them while I try to buttress myself. You announce that days will lengthen as the Earth’s rotation slows and, like a spinning plate losing its centrifugal force, the planet will become unstable. Eventually, it will cease turning altogether. From nothing, a car alarm mauls the air, violating the stillness. You wait for it to discontinue, then offer me a seductive smile. It’s possible we may yet converge in the bedroom, a final plundering of one another, rhapsodic and ferocious, an act guillotining past and future. You know the Americans were going to detonate a nuclear bomb on its surface, you say. In the 1950s. Just to flaunt it at the Soviets. Despite the wine harshening with every sip, I realise I could listen to you all night.

LAUNCH EVENT 

Launching Robins, Feathers, Pearls

V. Press is very very delighted to announce the publication of Robins, Feathers, Pearls by Ella-Louise Fisher, whose university portfolio of poems won last year's V. Press Prize for Poetry.

“Robins, Feathers, Pearls takes us on a journey of what it means to lose but also what it means to have. These poems are proof that the greatest moments of sadness and despair can be written with beauty and light. You will get lost in these words, and you will be grateful for it.”

Casey Bailey

“This remarkable debut publication from Ella-Louise Fisher is a powerful reminder of how bereavement can be more than an individual experience. Elegiac work is by nature difficult to write. It is often particularly difficult to communicate the balance between public and private grief which holds the elegy in place, but Fisher’s poems skilfully present personal moments from a rich life that frames the context of loss in beautiful, heartbreaking, and strikingly recognisable ways. More than this, Robins, Feathers, Pearls is a true commitment to honouring life as well as reflecting on death, and honesty, integrity, and deep love for family lives in every line.”
Jack McGowan

Robins, Feathers, Pearls is very honest, and very moving. 

Winner of the V. Press Prize for Poetry 2023

ISBN: 978-1-7394122-1-0

36 pages

R.R.P. £6.99

A sample poem can be enjoyed below.

BUY Robins, Feathers, Pearls NOW using the paypal options below.

Robins, Feathers, Pearls (with p&p options)

Robins, Feathers, Pearls (with p&p for UK delivery) £8.99 GBP Robins, Feathers, Pearls (with p&p for Rest of World delivery) £19.50 GBP

N.B. Any international customs/duty charges are the buyer's responsibility.

The Aisle of Urns in Charity Shops

I might donate your ashes to a charity shop. 

When I think of you, 

I picture you stroking the sleeves of jumpers 

in the aisles of Oxfam, 

holding teddies, and a book,

and dolls and wool, 

ready to give to me. 

I picture you grasping bin bags 

of knitted blankets and cardigans 

ready to donate, 

and, after promising not to take too long,

you’d spend hours browsing the 

fine china and teacup sets. 

You came home one day with a necklace, 

a small statue of a dog’s head for your fireplace, 

and a jewellery box, slightly chipped. 

Carrying a box of Beano comics on your hip. 

It might be worth something one day,

you said, 

as I raised my eyebrows. 

Now I walk in and find your pearls 

and your picture frames 

and your tea pot 

in the aisles of Oxfam

and, even though I donated them myself, 

I take them all in my arms and buy them again. 

A change of heart, 

I’ll wear you around my neck instead.

2024-25 V. Press Prize for Poetry

V. Press is very very excited to announce that the winner of this year's V. Press Prize for Poetry is Cherine El-Bash! 

This year's V. Press Prize for Poetry shortlist of four manuscripts chosen by the University of Worcester was particularly strong and wide-ranging, each one containing cohesively linked poems.

V. Press editor Sarah Leavesley enjoyed the interesting perspectives and forms used to create innovative, thought-provoking and moving poetry. In addition to striking lines, images and individual poems, she was also impressed by the care and crafting in getting each shortlisted set of poems to work together as a whole.

After numerous re-readings, she eventually picked ‘The furthest island’ by Cherine El-Bash as the winner of the V. Prize for Poetry 2024-25. This manuscript was both very moving and very striking, bringing together multiple different strands and influences to create poems which cast life and the surrounding world in a new light. In ‘The furthest island’, experience is simultaneously familiar and strange, with unusual imagery and language used to powerful narrative and emotional effect.

Sarah is looking forward to working with Cherine El-Bash on their pamphlet/chapbook for publication by V. Press in 2025. (See below for more information about the chapbook by last year's winner, Ella-Louise Fisher.)

NOW AVAILABE TO PRE-ORDER

“Robins, Feathers, Pearls takes us on a journey of what it means to lose but also what it means to have. These poems are proof that the greatest moments of sadness and despair can be written with beauty and light. You will get lost in these words, and you will be grateful for it.” Casey Bailey

“This remarkable debut publication from Ella-Louise Fisher is a powerful reminder of how bereavement can be more than an individual experience. Elegiac work is by nature difficult to write. It is often particularly difficult to communicate the balance between public and private grief which holds the elegy in place, but Fisher’s poems skilfully present personal moments from a rich life that frames the context of loss in beautiful, heartbreaking, and strikingly recognisable ways. More than this, Robins, Feathers, Pearls is a true commitment to honouring life as well as reflecting on death, and honesty, integrity, and deep love for family lives in every line.” Jack McGowan

Robins, Feathers, Pearls is very honest, and very moving. 

Winner of the V. Press Prize for Poetry 2023

ISBN: 978-1-7394122-1-0

36 pages

R.R.P. £6.99

A sample poem, more information and ordering for Robins, Feathers, Pearls can be enjoyed here.

ALSO COMING SOON

“Tom Vowler takes us into the thick of the moment with slow confident detail that makes us poise within time, where actions have distinct consequences and there is a path taken through havoc. He captures what happens at the intersection of human fragility and the might of nature, using language that caresses and haunts.”
Catherine McNamara

“Beautifully written bite-sized stories, exploring ghosts and hauntings and loss. Stimulating and satisfying – a splendid collection.”
Alison Moore

The Trajectory of Ghosts is very ethereal and very necessary. 

ISBN: 978-1-7394122-3-4
36 pages
R.R.P. £6.99

A sample flash fiction, more information and ordering for The Trajectory of Ghosts can be enjoyed here.

Summer Reading Book Bundles

 V. Press is very very pleased to introduce our new Book Bundles to help customers get their summer reading sorted.

This new page on the website offers a selection of V. Press book bundles put together to help readers find selected V. Press titles on certain themes* and save money when buying these multiple titles. 

Details of our first five Book Bundles can also be found below. 

Happy reading, happy holidays!

More detailed information (endorsements, sample poems and reviews etc) about the titles included in these bundles can be found by clicking on the links for the individual titles.

The Love Trio (LT) Bundle

This bundle consists of one poetry collection, Like love by Brenda Read-Brown, and two pamphlets/chapbooks: A Z-hearted Guide to Heartache by Charley Barnes and Winter with Eva by Elaine Baker.

The Love Trio (LT) Bundle is £18 including postage and packing for UK delivery only.

Love Trio (LT) Bundle with delivery options

Love Trio (LT) Bundle for U.K. delivery only £18.00 GBP Love Trio (LT) Bundle for Rest of the World delivery £100.00 GBP

N.B. Any international customs/duty charges are the buyer's responsibility. 

These book bundles are primarily aimed at offering customers who are buying for UK delivery a cheaper alternative to purchasing these titles individually. Orders for overseas delivery are likely to still be cheaper when purchased individually. 

 The Mothering Trio (MT) Bundle

The bundle consists of one poetry collection, Unable Mother by Helen Calcutt and two pamphlets/chapbooks: The Beautiful Open Sky by Hannah Linden and (m)othersongs by Sarah Doyle.

The titles in this bundle, which might equally be called Mothering or Not, include the points of views of being a mother, being a child, the difficulties of both and also the perspective of being unable to have children.

The Mothering Trio (MT) Bundle is £18 including postage and packing for UK delivery only.

Mothering Trio (MT) Bundle with delivery options

Mothering Trio (MT) Bundle for U.K. delivery only £18.00 GBP Mothering Trio (MT) Bundle for Rest of the World delivery £100.00 GBP

N.B. Any international customs/duty charges are the buyer's responsibility. 

These book bundles are primarily aimed at offering customers who are buying for UK delivery a cheaper alternative to purchasing these titles individually. Orders for overseas delivery are likely to still be cheaper when purchased individually. 

The Narrative Poetry Duo (NPD) Bundle

This bundle consists of two poetry collections: knots, tangles, fankles by Alex Reed and A Bluebottle in Late October by John Wheway. 

The Narrative Poetry Duo NPD Bundle is £18 including postage and packing for UK delivery only.

Narrative Poetry Duo (NPD) Bundle with delivery options

Narrative Poetry Duo (NPD) Bundle for U.K. delivery only £18.00 GBP Narrative Poetry Duo (NPD) Bundle for Rest of the World deliver £100.00 GBP

N.B. Any international customs/duty charges are the buyer's responsibility. 

These book bundles are primarily aimed at offering customers who are buying for UK delivery a cheaper alternative to purchasing these titles individually. Orders for overseas delivery are likely to still be cheaper when purchased individually. 

The Narrative Poetry Trio (NPT) Bundle

This bundle consists of three poetry pamphlets/chapbooks chosen from the following four options: Checkout by Kathy Gee, art brut by David O'Hanlon, Winter with Eva by Elaine Baker or Dancing in Babylon by Elaine Baker. 

The Narrative Poetry Trio (NPT) Bundle is £15 including postage and packing for UK delivery only -- please remember to specify which 3 titles you would prefer, or V. Press will select 3 (out of the 4) titles for you.

Narrative Poetry Trio (NPT) Bundle with delivery options

Narrative Poetry Trio (NPT) Bundle for U.K. delivery only £15.00 GBP Narrative Poetry Trio (NPT) Bundle for Rest of the World deliver £100.00 GBP

Which 3 titles would you prefer?

N.B. Any international customs/duty charges are the buyer's responsibility. 

These book bundles are primarily aimed at offering customers who are buying for UK delivery a cheaper alternative to purchasing these titles individually. Orders for overseas delivery are likely to still be cheaper when purchased individually. 

The V. Press Prize for Poetry Trio (VPPPT) Bundle

This bundle consists of three poetry pamphlets/chapbooks chosen from the following four options: ynygordna by Kelly Williams, May We All Be Artefacts by Chloe Hanks, Creature Without Building by Ray Vincent-Mills or Braised in Wine by D.D. Holland.

The V. Press Prize for Poetry Trio (VPPPT) Bundle is £15 including p &p for UK delivery only -- please remember to specify which 3 titles you would prefer, or V. Press will select 3 (out of the 4) titles for you.

V Press Prize for Poetry Trio (VPPPT) Bundle with p&p options

V Press Prize for Poetry Trio Bundle for U.K. delivery only £15.00 GBP VPPPT Bundle for Rest of the World delivery £100.00 GBP

Which 3 titles would you prefer?

N.B. Any international customs/duty charges are the buyer's responsibility. 

These book bundles are primarily aimed at offering customers who are buying for UK delivery a cheaper alternative to purchasing these titles individually. Orders for overseas delivery are likely to still be cheaper when purchased individually. 

Celebrating National Flash Fiction Day 2024

  

V. Press is delighted to share a new buy one, get one free special offer to help readers celebrate National Flash Fiction Day on June 15, 2024 and stock up on their summer reading!

Order any of the print edition flash fiction pamphlets/chapbooks (titles with monochrome covers) from our Fiction Bookshop (for U.K. delivery only) by the end of June 2024 and we will send you a free copy of one of our narrative poetry pamphlets (Scare Stories by David Clarke, Checkout by Kathy Gee or Winter with Eva by Elaine Baker).*

If any readers would prefer a copy of one of Sarah Leavesley's pocket novella Kaleidoscope or Always Another Twist as their free title, please email Sarah on lifeislikeacherrytreeATyahooDOTcom (within 24 hours of purchase) with a copy of the paypal receipt for a valid V. Press order.*

* These offers apply to U.K. delivery of print fiction orders only and are only valid until the end of June 2024.

Want to start reading one of our flash fiction titles immediately? Our flash fiction eBooks (The Chemist's House, The Neverlands, Alice in Wonderland Syndrome and Set a Crow to Catch a Crow) can all be purchased through Amazon. 

Launching Fire and Bees

V. Press is very very delighted to announce the launch of Fire and Bees, a poetry chapbook by Bethan Rees.

“Fires both real and metaphorical crackle through this exciting new collection by Bethan Rees, and its pages hum and crawl with insect life. These poems are hard-hitting and poignant; exploring themes of class, loss, mental health and the way familial trauma is passed on from one generation to the next. Rees’ work is surreal and compelling – an exciting new voice in the poetry world.” Julia Webb

“Fire and Bees darts with unexpected twists and edges, projecting its imagination into past, present and future, with themes of family, relationship and corporeal sensitivity. Mirroring the very nature of poetry, thresholds between the interior and exterior of bodies feel permeable, with recurring images of stings and syringes pricking the skin. Rees’ work is quick-witted and blazing.” Claire Williamson

Fire and Bees is very intense and very reflective, like the burning memories we carry. 

ISBN: 978-1-7394122-2-7
32 pages
R.R.P. £6.99

A sample poem can be enjoyed below.

BUY FIRE AND BEES NOW using the paypal options below. 

Fire and Bees (with p&p options)

Fire and Bees (with p&p for UK delivery) £8.99 GBP Fire and Bees (with p&p for Rest of the World delivery) £19.50 GBP

N.B. Any international customs/duty charges are the buyer's responsibility.

Stitches

I need to let you know what

I’ve done in my life.

The journeys I’ve been on.

The people I have met

that you might have hated

or loved.

Sitting in the parlour, I take

thread from Gran’s biscuit tin

come sewing kit.

I’m telling you my story through

my skin. Stitching my narrative into

the body you gave me.

The thread slides through my palm

and the pull of the needle is guided

by your spirit.

I want to let you know what you want

to know. And hopefully you’ll feel this too.

I create an aeroplane with black cord

and flesh. But from your perspective it looks more

like a bird.

So, I start to stitch a bird, because I think

that’s what you want me to do.

LAUNCHES

20 April 2024 - London

Fire and Bees will be officially launched in London today (20 April 2024) at the Free Verse Poetry Book and Magazine Fair 2024.

This free all-day (11.30am - 6.30pm) event takes place at St Columba’s, SW1X 0BD. More information can be found on the flier below or at The Poetry Society: https://poetrysociety.org.uk/projects/free-verse-poetry-book-and-magazine-fair/.

9 May 2024 - Brixham

Join Bethan Rees at Golden Lion, Brixham on Thursday, 9 May 2024, 8pm, for the launch of Fire and Bees! 🐝🔥

📍 Location: Golden Lion, 65 New Road, Brixham

All poetry lovers welcome! Listen to Bethan read from her debut chapbook Fire and Bees and experience an open mic poetry session – share your own poetry or simply enjoy the spoken word.  (To secure your open mic spot, email brixhampoetry@gmail.com or sign up on the night.)

Admission is free! Copies of  Fire and Bees available for £6.99. Your support is valued whether you purchase or not.

Featuring MC Robert Garnham, Professor of Whimsy. Mark your calendars and spread the word! Let's celebrate the joy of poetry together.