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I See New Poems

August 16, 2010

AGNI Online

For Those of You Who Don’t Buy Books…

I’m pleased to tell you that you can read a new poem of mine, “One Day The Will” FREE on the AGNI online site. AGNI is an excellent print magazine out of Boston which regularly publishes writers like Simon Armitage, Tomaz Salamun, Rita Dove, Robert Pinsky and many other poetic heroes. It is lovely to be tangentially attached to the magazine and the excellent writers who continue to appear in it. Check out my poem for free here but remember — magazines need cash to survive. If you don’t subscribe, who will? So, have a look at the quality and maybe consider a subscription. Go on — treat yourself — only $20 for a whole year!

And If You Want More … Go Here

and read my five World Cup poems specially produced for the World Cup Poems site and Chapbook. If you have £3 you can even have your very own physical book featuring myself, Dave Coates, Sasha de Buyl-Pisco, Al Innes and Kona Macphee. Darling poets all.

But like I said you can read everything for free on the World Cup Poems site. Do enjoy. I wrote poems on:

* Slovenia * Argentina (oh my, The Hand of God!)* Algeria * Honduras (The Football War) * England

Go Here to Read All the World Cup Poems For Free

Red Like Our Room – At Forest Fringe

August 15, 2010

An Intimate Poetry Performance with Forest Fringe

“Red Like Our Room Used To Feel” is many things. It is an intimate poetry performance from Ryan Van Winkle. It is an audial experience featuring new ambient noises from Ragland that will crawl up inside you. It is an art installation with paintings , photographs and object d’arte from a host of Edinburgh artists. It is joy, memory and loss condensed into fifteen minutes. So, come, lay down, have a cup of tea, enjoy a snifter of port, close your eyes and be where you want to be…

19 – 22 August – Various Times – Free, The Forest
part of The Forest Fringe “Secret Festival” — Check their site for more details!
In an intimate poetry performance in a Red Room. There’s a bed. A snifter of port. Some tea and  biscuts. Art work. Soundscapes by Ragland and, of course, some poems.
Thurs 19th – 17.00 – 21.00
Friday 20th – 19.00 – 22.00
Saturday 21st – 14.00 – 18.00

Download the FREE CD HERE

Two Hot New Chaps

August 14, 2010

The For Pub Don’t Stop

Presenting New Work From Chloe Morrish and Katie Craig — only two little pounds from Forpub.com!

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Now available for a bargainous £2 is the fourth issue from Forest Publications’ Chapbook Series, Volume 2: a short story entitled, Chicks Dig Scars by Katie Craig.

Excerpt:

I will never pull hair from a plug-hole without thinking of the ovarian cyst Celia had. It was made entirely out of hair and teeth – apparently that’s what cells find it easiest to mutate into.

“Did you see it?” She’s been out of hospital for two days but I’m just back. From a week-long training course in Leamington Spa of all God-awful places. The longest we’ve gone without seeing each other in years.  I’ve felt lurching and dizzy, seasick on land with the worry.

Read more!

Product details

  • Title: Vol.2 Iss.4 ‘Chicks Dig Scars’
  • Author: Katie Craig
  • Pamphlet: 20 pages
  • Publisher: Forest Publications (18 June 2010)
  • ISBN-13: 978-0956338884
  • Amount: £2

GET YOUR COPY TODAY from the FOREST PUBLICATIONS STORE!:

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Now available for a bargainous £2 is the third book from Forest Publications’ Chapbook Series, Volume 2: a collection of haiku poems entitled, Snow by Chloe Morrish.

A sample:

bare trees, a crow shape
neatly cut out of the snow
behind it, the dark

the snowflake symbols
on the weather forecast
are all identical

Read more!


Product details

  • Title: Vol.2 Iss.3 ‘Snow’
  • Author: Chloe Morrish
  • Pamphlet: 20 pages
  • Publisher: Forest Publications (18 May 2010)
  • ISBN-13: 978-0956338877
  • Amount: £2

GET YOUR COPY TODAY from the FOREST PUBLICATIONS STORE!:


good people good things

August 13, 2010

A Round-Up of Some Nice Things

* Nick Holdstock (aka My Man Husband) has a humorous, yet intellectually rigorous, travel piece on”International Pynchon Week” in Poland. You’ll find the text in the very respectable N+1 Magazine. Read it for free.

* Friends Rob A Mackenzie, Tracey Emerson, Aiko Mother Fucking Harmon, Brian Johnstone, Ewan Morrison, & Sally Evans all slid through my mail slot today in the new, very orange, issue of Gutter. Check it out and buy a subscription here.

* The Genomics Forum and SPL are running a lovely sounding poetry competition … “Write a poem of no more than 50 lines on the theme of ‘improving the human’.” My poem will be about getting bitten by a radio-active spider. If you want to enter — find details here.

* And Lastly — The SPL & Don Paterson are curating a host of poetry events at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. They’ve got: Paul Muldoon, John Glenday & Simon Armitage on the bill plus loads of wonderful others. Check it — here.

A Gift From Forest Records

Unreadable Font / Great Songs

Lucky me, lucky you! Forest Records has released a brand-spanking new compilation with 22 great tracks featuring many of your (soon-to-be) favorite artists. There’s even two poems of mine — one with the brilliant St. Jude’s Infirmary performed live at the Ten Tracks Halloween Bash and one from Red Like Our Room Used to feel with Ragland.

But, more exciting than my contribution is the long-awaited release of songs like Mikel Krumins’ “Zombie Girl”, Silk’s “Mr Creepy” plus many more jems!

You can stream the whole cd here and get and you’ll be able to buy a download / physical cd from Forest Records soon enough.

Forest Records Presents… X

Celebrating 10 years of the Forest. Dedicated to all our volunteers who made it happen August 2000 to August 2010… x

Features 22 tracks – brand new, unreleased or recent classics from members of the Forest Records Collective and a selection of special guests. 500 copies limited edition CD – buy your copy today at the Forest.

Press play, take off all your clothes and prepare to be touched intimately by the sounds of the Forest. Enjoy sampling these choice tracks and buy a copy at the Forest – out now!

Tracklisting:

01. Robin Schlochtermeier “Seventeen Or More”

02. The Sea Is Salt “Kennoway And Star”

03. Edward Shallow “Pillars”

04. Billy Liar “Is It Me?”

05. Danseizure “Holes In Walls”

06. Rootmitten “Big Dub”

07. Hailey Beavis “In Any Case”

08. The Hemulen “Echo Plex”

09. Ryan Van Winkle (with Saint Jude’s Infirmary) “Walker”

10. The Homecoming String Band “The Cuckoo”

11. Enfant Bastard “(Bonus) (Level) (Track)”

12. Caro Bridges “Right Now”

13. Danny Mullins “Time Out”

14. Kyon And Dyems “Polygon Faced”

15. Ragland “Going Down”

16. Jonny Berliner “Moochin’”

17. Sam & Mike “Second One”

18. Silk “Mr Creepy”

19. Mikel Krumins “Zombie Girl”

20. Robin Grey “Roses From Africa”

21. Ryan Van Winkle & Ragland “The Duke And Pines”

22. Sycamore Drive “End Theme”

And While We’re Talking about Forest Records

You better believe that in the run-up to FOREST X, the music arm of Forest has been dropping great free releases like a goose. If you haven’t visited the website and grabbed a dose of awesome new music, do so now!

Here’s a selection of my favourites!

The Sea is Salt EP

Jack Richold and Faith Nicholson unite and conquer!

The Sea is Salt lull you into a dreamy wonderland with sparse guitar, piano and violin overlaid with achingly lush vocals. Then, just when everything seems safe and sublime, they release a pack of wild bears to go roaring for the throat. Kennoway and Star is their debut EP, comprising four musical nuggets of folklore, laments and Elvis mythology. Download it for free now!

Hunnibug EP by boletes

“Mushroom hunters refer to fungi in the genus Boletus as boletes. However, individual species vary widely: some boletes are tasty edibles, while others cause severe distress. Boletes are harvested all over the world, but proper identification can be tricky.”

Beware! Hunnibug the debut EP from boletes will blow your mind!

2009 – 2010 by Sycamore Drive

Sycamore Drive’s latest album – a collection of unreleased chipmusic tracks from 2009-2010 – out now!

Listen and download at: http://www.sycamoredrive.co.uk/

Caro Bridges EP

“Words and Tunes” – the new EP from Forest Records latest signing Caro Bridges.

Sweet and sassy siren songs for summer days and sultry nights…

For free download of entire EP go to our downloads page or click on the album cover!

Meet the Hemulen

Meet The Hemulen – the debut album by electronic producer The Hemulen

OUT NOW on forest records!

Get your open source download right here for hemulensummersoundscapes

Danny Mullins – Forest  Vibe

Forest Vibe, Danny Mullins’ new 15-track album, is a heady mix of mirth, musings and magic. Recorded live at the Forest Cafe late one night in November 2006, distilled and stored in the Forest Records wine cellar for more than 3 years, like the finest of wines it has matured and tastes better than ever. All the classics make an appearance – Sensitive Guy, Ras The Rasta, Haywire and more – CDs from the Forest Shop and free downloads are both available now! Drink up! Drink up!

Celebrate 10 Years of Forest by downloading records, buying a book, making a donation, free theatre, or just party with us all festival!

Book Festival Reading

August 12, 2010

photo by Ericka Duffy

Edinburgh International Book Festival Gig – Be There.

I’ve been lucky enough to get invited to read along-side a host of international poets from South-East Europe. These are all strong, new voices plus there will be music and, certainly, some laughing afterwards. Please attend if you can. My first ever official Book Festival Gig!
Sunday, 15 August, 20.00 — £7/5

The Word Express project has taken young writers on literary journeys through the Balkans and South-east Europe. In this event, six poets involved in the project give a special performance. Come and hear Gokçenur Ç and Efe Duyan from Turkey; Katerina Iliopoulou and Yannis Isidorou from Greece; Marko Poga?ar from Croatia; and Raman Mundair and Ryan Van Winkle from Scotland in this truly international event.

Part of our After The Wall: The New Europe series of events.

In association with Literature Across Frontiers and the Scottish Poetry Library

Ryan Writes the World Cup

August 11, 2010

New Poems About Footy

I was shocked and dismayed to be asked to produce five new poems for this World Cup. See — I know very little about the football other than the fact that it is kind of  boring. Like an energetic version of golf. However,  I do love rampant nationalism when it does not involve guns. As such, The World Cup is a time to indulge in stereo-typing and loads of name-calling in pubs across the world. Brilliant! So, I really did want to make some good poems. The task was — I’d get five countries and I have to write a poem about each with two 11 line stanzas. These poems were put on the World Cup 2010 Poems website set-up by Dave Coates and Al Innes. So, I read loads about the legendary Maradona and the Hand of God and found out some interesting facts about the The Football War between El Salvador and Honduras.  Here’s the list of countries:

* Slovenia

* Argentina (oh my, The Hand of God!)

* Algeria

* Honduras (The Football War)

* England

Go Here to Read All the Poems For Free

But Wait — There’s More — These poems aren’t just a website — they are a beautiful Collector’s Item Chapbook that you will cherish for ever and ever so buy one below!

Here at ForPub headquarters we’re stoked to announce the launch of a new collection of World Cup 2010 Poems, so that you can relive our most recent Cup in all its poetic glory.

The Project was developed by Dave Coates and Al Innes, who talk more about how they came upon the idea in a podcast at the   All of the poems are available to read at the WC 2010 Poems website, but should you fancy a printed copy for your coffee table, the collection is available for you now in the ForPub store or at the Forest shop.

Read on for more about the project, who is included, what it’s all about, and a lovely sample poem by Coates himself!:


Why World cup poetry?

There are only a few events that truly catch the world’s attention. Maybe the Olympic Games, or the Haitian Earthquake Appeal. Maybe even Avatar. The World Cup is unique among sporting events. Unlike the Olympics, where the best-funded, best-equipped athletes usually come out on top, the World Cup rewards positive play. The biggest teams are there, the Italians face off against the Brazilians, but occasionally a second-tier team pulls off a minor upset. Maybe in a penalty shoot-out, maybe a goal-keeping blunder. Whatever transpires, it is on the World stage, with the eyes of every country fixed on it. What makes poetry so powerful is that it has the ability to reflect that attention back onto those taking part, onto the people and places around the globe who make up the store of memories and myths.

But the real magic of the World Cup is the fact that millions around the world are focused on one place, in one time. We hope this collection can take that magic, the magic of following your home team or adopted heroes, minnows and giants alike, and bring it to life through poetry. If people take something from a riddling 11-line poem, or climb inside a 22-line narrative and walk around, they may find something that moves them. We hope that both football fans and non-football fans can realise that the World Cup is about more than football, it’s a house party in the global village, and we’re all invited.
Paperback: 36 pages
Published: 18 July 2010
Author: Multiple Authors (see below)
Genre: Poetry
Cover: Ericka Duffy
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-1907811050


Amount: £3 + P&P

Contributors:

Excerpt:

South Africa
Where was I? The sun’s out,
the best day of this year, the colour
on my face has changed from Cooked Chicken
to Raw Steak, I was remembering talk
from fifteen years ago, as though
we could go back, call the whole
damn thing a mulligan and live in that last
few minutes before the stadium drained out
for good. As if we could teach ourselves
again, point to each mark and say here,
let me show you the worst of it
or here, carry it as I do, at least
it will feel lighter. Last night
I breezed through a few of your old papers.
Where were we? What was this place
we had seemed to embody, inhabit,
discover and be discovered like stepping
suddenly into a clearing, or into a warm
and well-lit room? At the opening
ceremony a thousand-and-some performers
rushed forward from the stands
as if sure of where all this was going.

Dave Coates

Golden August At Forest

August 10, 2010

THE GOLDEN HOUR!

August 18th, 2010
8pm
Forest Cafe, 3 Bristo Pl
Free! Free! Free!

NOW WITH A LICENCE!!!

Reading:
Lidija Haas – stops the presses with her new chapbook

AL Kennedy – novelist, comedian, rude and wonderful.

Ryan Van Winkle – short poems, long stories.

Nick Holdstock — Holds his strong meat.

Music:
Earl Grey and the Loose Leaves – A brawling bar-room  blues band that sounds like Captain Beefheart oan the train over tae Howlin’ Wolf’s hoose fur a bevvy and a brace with Sonny Terry and the Mississippi Sheiks. Contagious.

&&&& loads more!!!!


Very excited!

My Interview with John Glenday in Anon

August 9, 2010

Van Winkle Meets Glenday

Anon is a poetry magazine which fits in your back pocket and is a perfect poetic treat. I was fortunate enough to be asked to interview one of my favourite poets for the latest issue — John Glenday. Glenday’s most recent book, Grain, garnered a ton wagon-load of much deserved praise including a nomination for the prestigious Griffin Prize. Grain was released a shocking 14 years after Glenday’s last collection — the magnificent Undark. Thanks a million to John for, comparatively, conjuring this interview up at the speed of light. In my opinion, Glenday’s work is the real deal — these poems reminds us why we continue to read and write poetry. His collection is an elegant argument for the importance and beauty of this medium. He wouldn’t say this, of course, but in the interview he does say many other interesting things like:

“Mint choc chip. It’s flavourful, a delightful melange of colours and textures and affordably alliterative.”

Buy Anon — £6.50 for one issue or £11 for a one-year subscription. It is a super high quality magazine that not only features my interview with The Good Glenday but also new poems and essays. Look!

Prose: An essay on poetry and film by filmmaker Alastair Cook; an interview with Scottish poetry star John Glenday; what it’s like to be a poetry apprentice with Chloe Morrish; blind faith and anonymity with Claire Askew; and a personal take on the New York poetry scene through the eyes of Alice White.

Poetry: Excellent contemporary poetry from a wide variety of poets including Matt Merritt, Caroline Crew, Juliet Wilson, Adam Strickson, Rob A. Mackenzie, Ken Champion, Dave Coates, Jayne Fenton Keane, Richard Moorhead, Emily Van Duyne and Scott Edward Anderson and many others.

What is Anon?

“This is nothing short of fabulous. Our celebrity culture is in such desperate need of an enema. We’re completely clogged up with ego and projects like this have become essential in every way.” Mario Petrucci

Like it says on the tin — Anon is a magazine that only takes anonymous submission. This democratizes the editorial process ensuring that Big Names with Bad Poems don’t get in the magazine just because their name might sell some copies. It also means the editors, Colin Fraser & Peggy Hughes, can not favour their friends. Truly, it is anonymous — if you are interested you can easily submit online.

Buy Anon — Support Literary Magazines — £6.50 for one issue or £11 for a one-year subscription.

Enjoy: Word Power Book Fringe

August 8, 2010

Word Power Books

Word Power Book Fringe 2010

Our friends at Word Power have a great programme of events for you all of August kicking off with the poet Tom Leonard giving what is sure to be a rollicking read on August 11th. Also, there’s friends Mr. Nick Holdstock reading along-side the esteemed Edinburgh Maker, Ron Butlin, on the 12th. Plus plenty more to dip into — like Louise Welsh on the 14th and my favourite, Kei Miller, on the 22nd.

Oh, and it is all for free! See Word Power’s site for all the literary berries.

The Edinburgh Book Fringe 2010 —  from Wednesday 11 to Wednesday 25 August 2010 at Word Power Books

43-45 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9DB, Scotland, UK.

And here’s some audio of Kei reading from the SPL Podcast

Kei Miller

SPL poet of month for July, Kei Miller, reads from his new book A Light Song of Light at last month’s West Port Book Festival…

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