Saturday 21 November 2020


2020 has been a harder year than most, adapting to a world with covid-19 and the many repercussions from this. At V. Press though, at least one of the changes has been positive: the start of our first eBook versions of some of our titles. 

This year is also the press's fifth anniversary of our first V. Press solo-authored titles. Over this time, we've grown from three poetry pamphlets in 2015 to 6 poetry pamphlets, 2 full collections and 2 flash fiction pamphlets this year, with more exciting manuscripts already lined up for 2021. 

Despite challenges along the way and small margins in the small press world, there's lots to celebrate and be thankful for - our amazing authors, their  wonderful books, our fabulous readers and the stunning poetry covers produced by Ruth Stacey over these years as V. Press designer. We'd like to thank her again for this and wish her well as she moves onto new things. 

Big thanks are due too to Carrie Etter again this year for guest editing a second pamphlet for V. Press, Blue Dot Aubade by Miranda Lynn Barnes. Also to all V. Press authors, readers, reviewers, journals and everyone who has helped and supported both the press and individual V. Press authors.

As the press moves forward into 2021, we have few special announcements. The first is that V. Press has been able to donate £500 to the Woodland Trust this Christmas in recognition of the importance of publishing as sustainably as possible.

The second is that from 2021, V. Press is trialling a perfect bound chapbook style for our pamphlet/slim volume length poetry and flash titles.

A sneak preview of the first of these, Something so wild and new in this feeling by Sarah Doyle, can be found below. And for those missing Ruth's covers, we have one final design from her with Jenna Plewes' full collection A Woven Rope.

Finally, as we head towards advent, V. Press has a few special offers for our readers to help brighten the winter months or use as Christmas gifts.


ADVENT / WINTER OFFERS

V. Press is delighted to have two advent/winter 2020 bundle special offers running for our UK readers from now until 31 December 2020. 

Full details of both bundles can be found below, one for 2019/2020 collections and one for 2020 pamphlets . Although international delivery options are included in the Paypal options, these offers are intended for UK delivery only. For international customers, it is likely to be cheaper if they purchase from the individual title pages.


V. Press 2019/2020 2-book collections bundle - choose 2 titles from the following list for £16 including p&p for delivery in the UK: A Bluebottle in Late October (poetry) by John Wheway, I, Ursula (poetry) by Ruth Stacey, Cuckoo (poetry) by Nichola Deane, The Aesthetics of Breath (poetry) by Charles G. Lauder Jr and The boy who couldn't say his name (poetry) by John Lawrence. Please make sure to list your preferred titles in the option box, or leave it blank if you'd like V. Press to select for you. Although this bundle is primarily intended for 2019/2020 collections, you may opt for earlier V. Press collections or 1 collection + 1 pamphlet if you wish (provided it's a title that's not sold out - please check the Bookshop page to check this before ordering). *

V. Press 2019/2020 collections 2-book bundle with delivery options
2 collections you'd prefer?

* Offer valid until the end of 31 December 2020 only.

V. Press 2020 pamphlet bundle - choose 2 titles from the following pamphlets list for £12 including p&p for delivery in the UK: Blue Dot Aubade (poetry) by Miranda Lynn Barnes,  Making Tracks (poetry) by Katy Wareham Morris,  Hierarchy of Needs (poetry) by Charley Barnes and Claire Walker,  This Lexia & Other Languages (poetry) by Helen Kay,  Alice In Wonderland Syndrome (flash fiction) by Meg Pokrass, Ynygordna (poetry) by Kelly Williams, An Inheritance (flash fiction) by Diane Simmons, Winter with Eva (poetry) by Elaine Baker. Please make sure to list your preferred titles in the option box, or leave it blank if you'd like V. Press to select for you. Although this bundle is primarily intended for 2020 pamphlets, you may opt for earlier V. Press pamphlets if you wish (provided the titles aren't sold out - please check the Bookshop page to check this before ordering). *

V. Press 2020 2-pamphlets bundle with delivery options
2 pamphlets you'd prefer?

* Offer valid until the end of 31 December 2020 only.

REVIEWS


“[…] These are deftly crafted and controlled poems that speak of shock, emptiness
and the weight of being a parent under difficult circumstances, and at the same time
they are tender and hopeful poems that speak to the reader of humanity, the difficult
paths that life takes us on and how we can endure and emerge transformed. […]”

Julia Webb, Under the Radar 26, magazine can be ordered here  

“The artist’s muse is at the forefront of Ruth Stacey’s second collection, I, Ursula, though colour and texture are equally important to recreate the sumptuous and often sinister settings of the poems: […]

“The most successful poems are where the metaphoric plumbline from now, through layers of story and myth, is strongly defined; excavations of sexual and gender dynamics: […]”

Pam Thompson, Under the Radar 26, magazine can be ordered here 


NEW TITLES


V. Press is also v. v. pleased to reveal that we have now released an eBook version of Jude Higgins' very evocative and very colourful flash fiction pamphlet The Chemist's House.

V. Press has only a handful of the print copies of this popular pamphlet still available. For a sample flash, more information about The Chemist's House and to buy a copy of the print or eBook version, please click here.



NEW PRINT RUN


V. Press is also delighted to announce a new print run of John Wheway's collection A Bluebottle in Late October. The debut collection was only published in May but appropriately celebrated late October with a new order from the printers. A sample poem, endorsements, more information and ordering can be found here - do check it out soon, in case 
this print run sells out too!



COVER PREVIEW OF V. PRESS'S FIRST 2021 TITLES 

V. Press's first 2021 title Something so wild and new in this feeling by Sarah Doyle is already available for pre-order. This series of collage poems based on Dorothy Wordsworth's journals is very composite and very metamorphic. A sample poem, endorsements, further information and pre-ordering can be found here

This will be followed by Jenna Plewes' collection A Woven Rope and we're also looking forward to V Press Prize for Poetry winner Chloe Hanks' pamphlet/chapbook, May We All Be Artefacts.