Free Verse Poetry Book & Magazine Fair 2020 At Conway Hall & The Poetry CafĂŠ, London Saturday 22 February 2020
70+ rs publishe s & presse
Readings, activities & workshops
FREE
Guide & Map
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Welcome to Free Verse 2020 Poetry Book & Magazine Fair Free Verse celebrates the vitality of poetry in the UK – it’s a day of conversation and shopping, an unrivalled opportunity to browse the very best in contemporary poetry publishing and to meet publishers, organisations and poets.
Thank you to all the poets, publishers, organisations and individuals past and present, who come together to make Free Verse a success. Happy browsing! Best wishes from The Poetry Society
Saturday 22 February 2020, 10:30am – 4:30pm At Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL Also at The Poetry Café, 22 Betterton St, London WC2H 9BX, 6:30pm – 8:30pm poetrybookfair.com #freeverse20 Conway Hall
Oxfo
rd St
Drake St
New
Southampton Row
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Red Lion Square
High Holborn
The Poetry Society & Café rton
Bette
St
Kingsway
Drury Lane
Free Verse logo by Sophy Hollington, sophyhollington.com
The Fair is held at two sites: the book fair and daytime readings are in Conway Hall in Holborn and the workshops and evening
readings are at The Poetry Society premises in Covent Garden. It’s only a short walk between the two sites.
Holborn
Thanks to the Lavenham Press for its sponsorship of this Guide
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Useful information Cash: the nearest cashpoints are on High Holborn (5 mins walk). Some exhibitors take card payments, some will be cash only. Food & drink: Visit the Poetry Café pop-up café at Conway Hall, serving hot and cold drinks, light lunches and snacks. For this special occasion The Café has teamed up with microbrewery Beatnikz Republic Brewing Co. Come and try the 2AM Poet Extra Pale Ale direct from the keg. The Poetry Society’s Café at 22 Betterton St, WC2H 9BX, is open all day and evening, serving light veggie lunches, vegan cakes and flapjacks, loose-leaf teas,
Redemption Roasters coffee and artisanal soft drinks. Wifi: at Conway Hall, the network is Conway Hall Free WiFi. At The Poetry Café, the network is Poetry Café and the password is edwinmorgan. Emergencies: in the unlikely event of an emergency, please be directed by Conway Hall staff Donations: The Poetry Book & Magazine Fair is free to enter, as are all the associated readings at Conway Hall and The Poetry Society. We offer a bursary scheme to assist with the travel costs of small publishers coming a long distance. Contributions to this scheme and The Poetry Society’s educational programmes will be very gratefully received during the Fair and thereafter. Go to bit.ly/poetrysocietydonate
CREATI V E W RITIN G CO UR S ES A ND RE TREATS 2 02 0 W OR K S H OP S • ONEE -T O - ONE T U T OR I A L S • T I M E A N D S PA C E T O W R I T E T U T O R S IN C L U D E : Raymond Antrobus, Diana Evans, Mark Haddon, Willy Russell, Liz Berr y, Nikesh Shukla, Paul Farley
GE N R E S I N CL U D E : Fiction, Poetr y, Non - Fiction, Theatre, Star ting to Write, Children & YA, Screenwriting
Grants are available to help with course fees
Book now at w w w.ar von.org
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Free Verse Poetry Book & Magazine Fair • Presented by The Poetry Society
poetrybookfair.com #freeverse20
Book fair Main hall, Conway Hall Use the exhibitor list and map on pages 8-9 to discover more than 70 publishers, presses and organisations offering collections, anthologies, pamphlets, subscriptions and more at poetry’s super market of ideas, inspirations, goods and services.
Daytime readings Brockway Room, Conway Hall Our rolling series of 15-minute readings at which publishers introduce their poets and philosophies to you. All readings are free – just dip in and out during the day. 11:00 The Poetry Society’s young poets
12:40 Arenig Press 13:00 Sad Press 13:20 A Midsummer Night’s Press Lawrence Schimel & Milan Seli 13:40 V.Press Jinnie Fisher, Natalie Linh Bolderston & Martin Zarrop 14:00 Palewell Press Sonia Jarema & Jane Spiro 14:20 TBC
11:20 The Melos Press
14:40 Guillemot Press
11.40 The Poetry Business Tristram Fane Saunders, Sarah Fletcher & Emma Jeremy
15:00 Pindrop Press Liz Bahs, Marie Naughton & Lucy Wadham
12:00 Carcanet Press Rowland Bagnall & Laura Scott 12:20 The Poetry Translation Centre Abigail Parry with Legna Rodriguez Iglesias’ poems
15:20 Green Bottle Press Julian Stannard & Caroline Davies 15:40 The Poetry Review poets Details correct at time of writing. For up-to-the-minute information, visit www.poetrybookfair.com
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Workshops A Small Press Publishing How-to with Bad Betty Press Poetry Society Studio 22 Betterton St, London WC2H 9BX Time: 11am – 1pm Fee: £35 (Poetry Society Members/concs £30) Book at bit.ly/smallpress If you’ve dreamed of setting up a small press, new indie poetry publisher, Bad Betty Press, is here to help you with ideas, top tips and case studies. Join Bad Betty Press editor Amy Acre for a conversation about what you need (and don’t need) to run a small publishing outfit from your kitchen table. You’ll look at branding, editing and design as well as practical issues like applying for funding and getting books in stores. Bring a poetry book or pamphlet from a small indie press that you admire, as well as a pen and paper. We look forward to seeing the new presses that spring from this session – maybe you’ll take a stall at future Free Verse Fairs!
Workshops in The Poetry Society Studio – advance booking essential
Editing: a mini Masterclass with Will Harris Poetry Society Studio 22 Betterton St, London WC2H 9BX Time: 2pm – 4.30pm Fee: £35 (Poetry Society Members/concs £30) Book at bit.ly/editingmini Poet, essayist and editor Will Harris is one of the guest editors for the Spring 2020 issue of The Poetry Review. He’ll look at edits of poems by others and share his most successful strategies for getting your work noticed, whether you’re submitting your work for magazines, publication or competition. Bring eight copies of one of your poems that you’d like to see published – and get ready to learn some new editorial techniques to help it on its way into the world.
Please note, The Poetry Society Studio is up one flight of stairs.
Amy Acre and Will Harris
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For the map & exhibitor list, turn to page 8
Free Verse Poetry Book & Magazine Fair • Presented by The Poetry Society
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Free Verse Floor Filler
Don’t miss the Free Verse after party!
Evening readings at The Poetry Café 22 Betterton St, London WC2H 9BX Time: 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Art on Stage With Ceri Amphlett Main hall stage, Conway Hall As you browse and chat, Ceri will create a collection of handmade book forms and artworks inspired by poetry. Watch the display develop, and maybe contribute a line or two of your own.
Eight minutes to wow the crowd! A selection of poets, publishers and wild-card guests demonstrate their tricks and flairs in the shortest of slots. After a hard day’s buying, selling and talking, take the weight off your feet at The Poetry Café for an informal and lively reading over a glass of something delicious. More details at www.poetrybookfair.com
Presented by The Poetry Society • Free Verse Poetry Book & Magazine Fair
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List of exhibitors Free Verse Poetry Book & Magazine Fair, Conway Hall, London, 22 February 2020 poetrybookfair.com #freeverse20
80X A Midsummer Night’s Press Acumen Against the Grain Allardyce, Barnett, Publishers Ambit Arachne Press Arc Publications Arenig Press Avalanche Books Bad Betty Press Boatwhistle Books Broken Sleep Books Butcher’s Dog Carcanet Carnaval Press clinic Dempsey & Windle Etruscan Books Eyewear / Black Spring Press Faber & Faber Francesca Kay Poetry and Print Gatehouse Press Green Bottle Press Guillemot Press Hazard Press Henningham Family Press Hercules Editions Holland Park Press 8
33 25 40 27 4 6 38 8 34 7 11 12 10 22 15 35 14 3 3 37 2 21 32 2 16 21 12 32 5
ignitionpress Ignota Books Isobar Press Knives, Forks & Spoons Press Live Canon London Poetry Books Long Poem Magazine Modern Poetry in Translation Mslexia New Departures/Poetry Olympics New Walk Editions Offord Road Books Out-Spoken Press Paekakariki Press Palewell Press Paper Swans Press Parthian Books Penned in the Margins Pindrop Press Platypus Press PN Review Poetry London Poetry on the Picket Line Poetry School Poetry Translation Centre Prototype Rack Press Sad Press Seren Shearsman Sidekick Books Silver Press Smokestack Snow lit rev Stairwell Books Stranger Press tall-lighthouse Tapsalteerie The British Haiku Society The Emma Press The Frogmore Press The Melos Press The Poetry Business The Poetry Review The Poetry Society The Rialto Toothgrinder Press Tuba Press V. Press Veer Books Wayleave Press
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Hall entrance
Take a to brow break se purcha your se mezza s – n ine seating upstair s
Presented by The Poetry Society • Free Verse Poetry Book & Magazine Fair
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“POETRY IS A BRIDG GE BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE” FOUNDED BY T S ELIOT
- OCEAN VUONG
JOIN THE BOOK CLU UB FOR POETRY FANS “Since its move north it’s become increasin ngly vibrant & real resource for poetry lovers.” -DEGNA STONE, P POET & PBS MEMBER The Poetryy Book Societyy is new, w, improved p and more alive than ever! Since moving to Inpress, we’ve championed a diverse range of internattional, established and emerging poets, from Raymond Antrobus to Jericho Brown. Our Selectors have an incredible track record of discovering future prize-winners ahead oof the crowds and celebrating vibrant independent poetry publishing in all its forms. We We d do hope you’ll join our global poetry community and help us to support poets and publisheers, big and small.
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Realms of gold and new planets Poet-booksellers Deborah Alma, John Clegg and Miranda Peake suggest some new routes to refresh your reading
E
very book lover is glad of a tip from a knowledgeable bookseller, bringing a little zip and grist to our regular buying habits. We asked three especially well-informed poet-booksellers Deborah Alma, John Clegg and Miranda Peake to direct us around the shopfloor in search of surprise and revelation. So, which poetry books are you looking forward to most in 2020?
Deborah: The Emma Press Anthology of Contemporary Gothic Verse, edited by Nisha Bhakoo and Charlotte Geater, and Pascale Petit’s Tiger Girl out soon from Bloodaxe. John: A debut: Will Burns’s Country Music. A second collection: Rebecca Watts’s Red Gloves. A book which will be out by the time your readers see this but at the moment of writing I am in a state of rapt anticipation for is Vicki Feaver’s I Want, I Want. A book which I already have but anticipate selling many more of when it comes into paperback in June is Marianne Moore’s New Collected Poems, edited by Heather Cass White. Oh, and a book I don’t know the details of yet but have heard rumours on the horizon: something new from Jen Hadfield published by Guillemot.
Miranda: Yes to that Will Burns’s collection too – and Ella Frears’s debut too. There’s the new batch of books from Pavilion Press by Martha Sprackland, Bhanu Kapil and Linda Anderson – I seem to love everything they publish. I’m really pleased that Penguin are publishing Alice Notley’s For the Ride as she has been hard to get hold of in the UK. Recommend reading matter to our poetry buyer with £50 to burn...
Miranda: I’d champion our local poets, of which there are many. In order of geographic closeness, I would start with Kate Miller's Observances, moving on to L. Kiew’s new pamphlet The Unquiet, Judy Brown’s Crowd Sensations, Bear by
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St Andrews w 4-8 March c
THE MOTH 2020 the
moth
art and literature
Joshua Cohen Nicole Flattery Toti O'Brien Geoff Wyss Issue 37 Summer 2019
talks · films · workshops exhibitions · discussions poetry · drama · music more than 80 evvents frrom 80 poetts including Anthony Anaxagorou Jen Hadfield Carolyn Forché D. A. Powell Luke Wright Michael Longley Wendy Cope Sabrina Mahfouz Tony Walsh Birdspeed
www.stanzapoetry.org Photographer: Andrew Florides
31 March The Caterpillar Poetry Prize CLOSING DATE
€1,000 for the best poem written by an adult for children, to be published in The Caterpillar
22 April Celebrating 10 Years of The Moth Join the Irish Literature Society in London as it welcomes a host of Moth contributors to The Bloomsbury Hotel to celebrate 10 years
30 June The Moth Short Story Prize CLOSING DATE
Three winners will receive €3,000, a writing retreat at Circle of Misse in France, and €1,000 respectively, and be published in The Moth
30 Sep
The Moth Nature Writing Prize
CLOSING DATE
Inaugural prize for an original piece of writing exploring the writer’s relationship with the natural world. €1,000 plus a week at The Moth Retreat in rural Ireland
31 Dec
€10k Moth Poetry Prize
CLOSING DATE
One of the biggest prizes in the world for a single unpublished poem. €10,000 for the winner, plus three prizes of €1,000 for the shortlisted poems
www.themothmagazine.com
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Chrissy Williams, and finish with Chris McCabe’s Cenotaph South, which maps the lost poets buried in Nunhead Cemetery. It can’t all be about the living, after all. John: It all depends on the identity of this mysterious moneybags. If she seemed to share my taste, I’d commend Alex Wong’s Poems Without Irony, Christopher Middleton’s Collected Poems, Maria Sledmere’s Rainbow Arcadia and Martha Sprackland’s Citadel. This would leave five pence change, which coin I’d recommend be took up and flipped twice. Heads then tails, they should start with the Wong; tails then heads, with the Middleton; both tails, with the Sledmere; both heads, with the Sprackland. I would then suggest a further two flips to decide on reading location: HT in the LRB Cakeshop, TH in the pub, HH in the bath, TT on the bus to somewhere you’ve never been. By this point she would surely have got her money’s worth out of the 5p also, and I could relax happily back behind the till, knowing that she had reached, legitimately, the end of her budget. Deborah: The idea behind the Poetry Pharmacy is to have poetry books that will appeal to a general reader, so they are scattered through the shelves according to particular moods or emotional ‘ailments’ that a customer might be browsing for, alongside cards and gifts and poemsin-pills. So it depends on the customer! But I don’t think you can go far wrong with recommending the Bloodaxe Staying Alive trilogy.
What book would you put by a till to encourage a last-minute impulse purchase?
Deborah: At the moment we have Ten Poems of Happiness from Candlestick Press; it fits the Poetry Pharmacy well-being conceit and these are difficult times... John: There’s a very handsome new edition of Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience, reproducing all the colour plates very faithfully with text on facing page, in bold bright orange from Tate Publishing at a reasonable ten nicker. I’m heartily fed up with selling those Penguin £1 classics, but their selection of Patrick Kavanagh was pretty close to all the Kavanagh you need for my money. Plus our own pocket Denise Riley sampler, published in association with Face Press. Miranda: A selection from Guillemot Press. Their outrageous beauty will seduce anyone who comes close and they will have to buy at least one, or probably three. They will of course be delighted by the contents too. s John Clegg works at London Review Bookshop, londonreviewbookshop.co.uk Deborah Alma is the founder and owner of Poetry Pharmacy, Shropshire, poetrypharmacy.co.uk Miranda Peake works at Chener Books, London SE22. Find Chener Books on Facebook Refresh, revive, read - visit the Poetry Café pop-up
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‘Britain’s po etic brain.’ Simon Arm itage
public the largest it is v d n a the e Com rn poetry in e d o m f o on. n collectio r and questi e v o c is d , rn world to lea
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LAVENHAM PRESS
Printers of The Poetry Review
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