Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of an indie poetry press? Join SYP North to take a look behind the doors of three influential poetry presses in the north, Bloodaxe, The Poetry Business, and Carcanet.
We will be chatting about the world of poetry publishing, the ever-growing poetry scene in the north, and how the pandemic has altered the way indie presses operate.
With poetry presses often an overlooked area of publishing, this event will champion the impressive work happening, and shine a light on the exciting future of the northern poetry scene.
If you’ve ever wanted to get your poetry published, develop your writing, or get your foot in the door at an indie poetry press, this event is for you.
Our Speakers are:
Neil Astley, Bloodaxe:
Neil Astley is the editor of Bloodaxe Books which he founded in 1978. His books include many anthologies, most notably those in the Staying Alive series: Staying Alive (2002), Being Alive (2004), Being Human (2011) and Staying Human (2020), along with three collaborations with Pamela Robertson-Pearce, Soul Food and the DVD-books In Person: 30 Poets and In Person: World Poets. He received an Eric Gregory Award for his poetry, and has published two poetry collections, Darwin Survivor and Biting My Tongue, as well as two novels, The End of My Tether (shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award), and The Sheep Who Changed the World. He was given a D.Litt from Newcastle University for his work with Bloodaxe Books in 1995; is a patron and past trustee of Ledbury Poetry Festival; and was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2018. He lives in the Tarset valley in Northumberland.
(He/Him)
Ellen McLeod, The Poetry Business:
Ellen McLeod is Development Manager and a co-director at The Poetry Business.
She has worked in several project management and research-based roles in the arts since completing a Masters degree in Cultural Policy and Management in 2010. Ellen has been working at The Poetry Business since 2011.
(She/Her)
John McAuliffe, Carcanet:
John McAuliffe grew up in Listowel, County Kerry, and has lived in the UK since 2002. He has published five collections with The Gallery Press, most recently The Kabul Olympics, which was published in April 2020. His Selected Poems will be published in October by Gallery and by Wake Forest University Press in the US in 2022.
John now lives in Manchester, where he is Professor of Poetry at the University of Manchester’s Centre for New Writing and edits The Manchester Review. He wrote the regular poetry column in The Irish Times from 2013-2020 and, since 2020, has worked as Associate Publisher and editor at Carcanet Press.
(He/Him)
This event will be hosted on Zoom on Thursday 30 September, 7:00-8:00pm.
You can submit questions on Twitter before this event by messaging @SYPNorth or by using the hashtag #SYPNorthPoetry
Tickets are free – just register your place via Eventbrite.
A Zoom link will be sent out prior to the event. If you have not received your link, please message @SYPNorth on Twitter or email: sypnorth@gmail.com