Looking Onwards

There's no doubt that 2020 has been a hard year! Here in the UK, it also feels like this Christmas season may not be the kind of winter festivity that it is normally.

V. Press editor Sarah Leavesley was due to be on a month-long residency at the International Writers' and Translators' House in Latvia. This won't now be going ahead - for obvious reasons.

But though this Christmas may be different to what might have been expected at the start of this year, V. Press has some  extra special seasonal cheer lined up...watch this space, as they say, for more news on this soon.

Meanwhile, we've a range of new reviews and titles for you to curl up with, perfect for semi-hibernation, temporary escape from reality and pure enjoyment!

REVIEWS

A Blue Bottle in Late October

"John Wheway’s brilliant debut collection, A Blue Bottle in Late October, is ambitious; a mini saga with a compelling narrative arc, told through a series of short, self contained lyrics grouped into three ‘acts’, with plenty of drama and action and memorable characters. An ordinary, everyday tragedy, made extraordinary by the telling of it. [...]

"This collection has the heart and narrative scope of a novella, elevated into something special by the poet’s eye. Just open at random and enjoy [...]"

Alison Woodhouse, The High Window, full review here

For a sample poem, more information or to buy A Blue Bottle in Late October, please click here.

I, Ursula

"[...]Stacey is a master of deceptive language that haunts you by its lullaby and paradigm style. Before you know it, you are seduced and involved into the play of words and metaphors.[...] 

"A sumptuous piece of work from a writer that is going from strength to strength."

Antony Owen, Ink Sweat and Tears, full review here

"There is so much to enjoy in these poems. The imagery Ruth uses is inventive and expressive – children’s fists are “clams”, lace is “a little noose”. Line breaks maintain tension and often create a wry humour."

Andrea Mbarushimana, Here Comes Everyone, full review here

For a sample poem, more information or to buy I, Ursula, please click here.

This Lexia & Other Languages

“Sometimes the more unlikely the subject matter, the more intriguing it can be, as this pamphlet exemplifies. Helen Kay, a dyslexia tutor, considers dyslexia and how it is — and isn’t — addressed in mainstream schooling and beyond, principally via the relationship between a mother and her son.”

Matthew Paul, OPOI, Sphinx Review, full review here

For a sample poem, more information or to buy This Lexia & Other Languages, please click here. 

Making Tracks

"These are heartfelt pieces which speak of tension: the permanence of the natural, and the soul’s depth, versus the expediency of market values and the urban. Thought provoking and original."

Maggie Mackay, OPOI, Sphinx Review, full review here

For a sample poem, more information or to buy Making Tracks, please click here.

NEW TITLES

V. Press is very very delighted to have published Blue Dot Aubade by Miranda Lynn Barnes earlier this month. Hosted by Caleb Parkin, with guest poet Tania Hershman and a wonderful open mic section to the theme of Miranda's beautiful pamphlet as well as her stunning reading, the launch event was truly out-of-this world!

A sample poem, more details about Blue Dot Aubade, guest edited by Carrie Etter, and ordering can be found here.

Launching Blue Dot Aubade

V. Press is very very delighted to launch Blue Dot Aubade, a pamphlet of poems by Miranda Lynn Barnes.

“I don’t think poems need to teach anything but nevertheless there's much to learn about the cosmos, the spirit, matter, and what matters here. The best part is that the lessons are delivered by a high-energy beam of surprising, hyper-attentive language. I'm obsessed with light, as are these poems. Ultimately, the language is the lesson – it's how the poems see and they may affect your vision afterwards.

 

Light travels as waves

and arrives as particles.

We travel as bodies

and arrive as light.

(From 'Cheating Light')”

Simon Barraclough

 

“Miranda Lynn Barnes' Blue Dot Aubade uses astrophysics and human experience as lenses for one another and thereby creates a renewed appreciation of both. At times playful, at times poignant, these intelligent poems illuminate our environment in the broadest sense: they give us a new view of our universe and our relationship to it. An engaging, original debut.”

V. Press Guest Editor Carrie Etter

Blue Dot Aubade is very cosmic, and very numinous.

ISBN: 978-1-9161096-7-4

36 pages

R.R.P. £6.50

A sample poem from the pamphlet can be found below.

BUY BLUE DOT AUBADE NOW using the paypal options below. 

Blue Dot Aubade (including P&P/delivery options)

Blue Dot Aubade (including P&P for the U.K. only) £7.50 GBP Blue Dot Aubade (including P&P for Rest of World) £15.00 GBP

Olivine

She’s been found

on meteorites, the dust

on Mars, tails of comets,

and the natal discs

of forming stars. Her crystal

green has been seen

in early solar birth

and the magma ocean

of the moon as it cooled.

She sparkles in every arc,

every glint against the ink

of the sky.

You are the greenest twinkle

in my eye, Olivine.

LAUNCH EVENT

Saturday, 10 October 2020

7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Zoom 

Free but must register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/blue-dot-aubade-pamphlet-launch-tickets-119339751409. Limited open mic slots available to book, first come, first served.