So, where do we start:
THE NAGASAKI ELDER
The Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry seeks to recognise excellence in poetry, highlighting outstanding contributions made by poets to our cultural life. The £5,000 prize is donated by Carol Ann Duffy, funded from the annual honorarium the Poet Laureate traditionally receives from HM The Queen.
V. Press will be with Antony tonight when the winner is announced at the Ted Hughes Award & National Poetry Competition awards ceremony in London.
His work is described by The Poetry Society as: 'A harrowing collection responding to a journey through bombed cities of Japan and drawing on accounts of survivors.
From the judges: “shocking to read, but at the same time strangely beautiful and gentle... relevant to our times, hardhitting, and brilliantly written”.'
Antony has also written a piece for The Poetry School about his experiences that fed into the collection. This can be found, along with a sample poem, here.
For another sample poem, to find out more about The Nagasaki Elder or order a copy of the collection, please follow this link.
* V. Press is also very delighted to share news of Antony Owen's success in ‘Writing Armistice’, the Army’s Poetry Competition 2018, where he's won the Museum of Military Medicine Commendation for his poem ‘A Black Nurse Tends to Wounds’.
The pamphlet also has an amazing and detailed review in the latest issue of The Ofi Press Magazine.
"The way Ante intersperses Filipino words into the poems is like the sprinkling of exotic spices. Her word-menus-recipes encourage an armchair traveller like me to imagine the places, meet the people: take a bite, drink a spoonful, listen to a story, try to understand what it means to grow up in one country and migrate to another one that’s far away.
"Her poems are carefully structured and take turns that surprise and reveal...
"Ante shows us challenging realities, hope for the future, the past’s importance and the enduring ties of family. I highly recommend this well-written pamphlet which will appeal to a wide audience."
But these are just a few of our favourite parts from this review by E.E. Nobbs. The full review can be enjoyed in the magazine here.
A sample poem and copies of Rice and Rain are available here.
STABLEMATESV. Press is very very delighted to to take part in the monthly Stablemates poetry evening at The Poetry Cafe London on Thursday, April 26. Jill Abrams has invited V. Press poets Stephen Daniels and David Clarke , and V. Press editor and poet, Sarah James/Leavesley to share poetry (& maybe a few words on running the press) from their recent pamphlets and collections: Tell Mistakes I Love Them, Scare Stories, plenty-fish and How to Grow Matches.
Doors open 7pm, poetry starts promptly at 7.30. Venue: The Poetry Café, 22 Betterton St, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9BX. Tickets are £6 in advance from Buy Now button on the Stablemates website here or £8 (cash only) on the door.
INTERVIEWS
V. Press author Jude Higgins talks about her V. Press pamphlet The Chemist's House and other writing projects and advice here.
V. Press editor Sarah James/Leavesley chats about the press and her own poetry and fiction writing here.
FLASH FICTIONAL FESTIVAL
The showcase on Sunday, July 22, will feature readings from this year's V. Press titles: There's Something Macrocosmic About All of This by Santino Prinzi and Michael Loveday's flash fiction novella Three Men on the Edge.
V. Press editor Sarah Leavesley presents 'A Flash Guide to V. Press' over on the festival blog here, where you can also find out more about the festival and book tickets.
THREE MEN ON THE EDGE
More about the title and some sample flash fictions can be enjoyed here.
SUBMISSIONS
Finally...for now! We're also delighted to give advance notice of our 2018 new submissions windows. This year V. Press will have three different submissions windows: poetry (April/May), flash fiction (July) and guest editors (April). Full submissions guidelines and details can be found here, please do read and follow them carefully. Thank you.
