[ CLINIC PRESENTS...MAGIC ]
February 5th

Hello steriles.

Popshot blog regulars will no doubt already know of the progressively growing monster that is CLINIC. We've mentioned them a few times and for good reason. However, if you're not familiar, then you ruddy should be. They're about to put on their next night of poetry and art goodness in less than a weeks time, on the theme of Magic. Check the flyer above for more details then go and hotskip towards their internet website for all the CLINIC goodness you could hope for. Peace and medical equipment.

[ BANG GOES WEEKLY ]
February 3rd

Hello pellets.

We haven't talked of Borough's finest poetry night - BANG SAID THE GUN - for a little while but since a fair few things have been going on in their neck of the forest, it's probably worth a re-mention. They recently went from being a monthly oddity to a weekly fix, which basically means you can be 4 times happier than you could be before. You don't get odds like that everyday. Not only that, but they are also getting in some gobsmackingly revered poets on the performance poetry circuit. Check the flyer for namedrops.

Their next night is tomorrow night so if you have an evening to yourself or anyone else for that matter, it comes in highly recommended to pop your clogs down to The Roebuck, SE1. Check their blog for goings on and slightly bizarre updates.

[ DONE, DUSTED AND POLISHED ]
February 1st

Hello short months.

So here is where we greet a gentle goodbye to poetry submissions for another few months. It's always with a great sense of glee that we wave the merry ship of submissions off and can stop reading poems for a little while. As always, thank you so much to everyone who submitted their poetry over the last 3 months. We had more submissions than ever before and the quality of poetry submitted was significantly better yet again, which made it even harder to judge which poems deserved to be in there and which ones didn't. Sorry if your poem didn't make it but it will have been up against stiff competition. So all 24 selected poems have now been shipped out to our 24 disgustingly talented illustrators and the ball continues to roll towards the grand creation of Issue 3. Good times.

[ NOBROW COMPETITION ]
January 28th

Hello hide and seeks.

Just got wind that independent publishing platform for illustration - NOBROW PRESS - are looking for illustration submissions to create a new book on the theme of 'People I've Never Met & Conversations I've Never Had'. If you haven't heard of them, go check them out and heavily consider sending in something on the theme before February 15th.
CLICK HERE for details of it all and if you're feeling the good stuff, get involved.

[ LIT FUSE ]
January 27th

Hello wicks and wax.

Remember Fuselit Magazine, the pocket sized and handmade literary arts magazine that publishes poetry, short fiction and art work? If you don't, a small amount of acquaintation may be in order.
I recently got word from one of its meet the makers, Jon Stone, that they have just launched an independent press on the side, rather appropriately called Sidekick Books. They have two micro anthologies available so far with some of the poetry underground's biggest stars. Go give it your attention and should you feel compelled to buy a copy, don't resist the urge. Postage is freeeeeee.

[ LIBERATE! ]
January 25th

Hello sock droppers.

This is a small reminder to let you know that poetry submissions for our third issue on the theme of 'Liberate' close in under one week. The deadline is January 31st at the 24th hour. We recommend you don't leave it quite that late but won't punish you if you do. Remember, poems have to be under 25 lines and related to the theme. So if you think you have some words that might expand the mind and liberate the soul - send them to us pronto.

[ THE THREE STIGMATA OF PACMAN ]
January 22nd

Hello crosses.

Just got this through from London's very own poetry hero - ROSS SUTHERLAND. Not only was he recently featured in an article in THE INDEPENDENT whereby he taught a journalist how to be a peformance poet, he's also holding down a one man show throughout January, rather intriguingly named 'The Three Stigmata of Pacman'. If anything you should get down just to find out what on earth could warrant a title such as that. Check the flyer above then CLICK HERE to see it in big and detailed.

[ JOHN RYAN SOLIS ]
January 21st

Hello ephemerals.

Time to slowly show off another of our illustrators from the last issue - JOHN RYAN SOLIS.
Hailing from New York, he has a rather nifty habit of drawing girls, hair and animals, often morphed together but never showing the girls face. He illustrated the poem 'Girls Like This', a stream of consciousness that articulated the facelessness and emptiness of one night stands. How fitting.

[ THE OBSERVER ]
January 18th

Hello thins.

Although this is too late to be a warning and there is now nothing you can do about it, just to let you know we were featured in yesterdays (Sunday 17th) Observer. We were in The Observer Woman Magazine, which was themed 'The Cool Issue' and were one of the tipped new cool things for 2010. And much as you may protest, who are we to argue?

"Poetry," screams the first page of fanzine Popshot. "It's not just for tweed jackets." Oh yes? This is a sensitively illustrated and thick-paged fanzine of poems to concentrate on. "Do not read this if you need the toilet," advises the 22-year old editor, Jacob Denno. "Poetry is an art form that needs complete attention."
So despite being described as a fanzine on a couple of occasions, jolly good show all round.

[ ELLE/IL ]
January 16th

Hello phillipines.

Found this article in ELLE MAGAZINE the other day. First Vogue, now Elle - is womens fashion starting to find solace in the eloquent stock rooms of poetry? If you want to read the article, CLICK HERE to see it bigger.
On a final note, if you live in the Phillipines and visit this website everyday - why not buy a copy of Popshot?

[ OFF MODERN ]
January 13th

Hello ancients.

Tomorrow night we're going to be at this event at Corsica Studios in Elephant & Castle, sitting at a frosty stall selling (or not selling) copies of Popshot at a greatly reduced price. AMELIA'S MAGAZINE are also going to be there along with a host of zinemakers. Then it will all disperse and turn into a drunken furor that no doubt will end messily. It's being held by the lovely souls at OFF MODERN who put on nights like this every month. Go check them out and tell them they're great.

We'll be selling copies at £4 each instead of the usual £6. Get there before 10pm and entry is freeee. See you there.

[ WE HEART 2010 ]
January 11th

Hello recovery positions.

I was asked by the delightful James Davidson of WE HEART to compile a small list of people and things that I thought were going to stand out in the 2010 world of poetry and illustration. I chose 7 things that you can go and cast your eye over and either completely agree with or spit out your tea at. I would prefer the former but if it has to be the latter, make sure you're well away from soft furnishings at the time. You can read the specific article in all its rambling glory - HERE.
Thanks to James for the chance to spend a Sunday afternoon musing over the coming year and go bookmark WE HEART - it's bloody brilliant.

[ OUT TO LUNCH ]
January 9th

Hello elbows on the table.

This update is entirely copy and paste. If you think this is a copout, go buy your grandmother some eggs. Thank you.

Inspired by the crafty resourcefulness of the Black Market and a cult tv show about a dusty bookshop and a taciturn, alcoholic Irishman, trans in association with the Black Market, present a new, grass-roots book fair. With a cacophony of stalls manned by book-sellers, zine writers and literary enthusiasts and an afternoon of word-based entertainment, Black Books is a revival and a celebration of the multiplicities of language and printed word. Stalls will include new and secondhand books, zines, rare books & antiquities, comicbooks, magazines, papers and children’s literature.

So go and have a hoke through some dusty old books sitting side by side with cutting edge writing from both the local and international avant-garde. Readings, spoken word performances, DIY publishing workshop and zine-related film screenings in the Black Box Café throughout the day. To find out the necessary details go have a hoopla at the OUT TO LUNCH FESTIVAL website.

[ MAGIC ]
January 7th

Hello rabbits in hats.

Welcome to a demonstration in the power of nature, my snowflaked friends. It appears a few inches of white powder has the tremendous ability to throw an entire nation into absolute chaos and the whole charade has already been dubbed 'Frozen Britain'. Strangely, despite the apparent millions of pounds being lost in the economy over the next few days, everyone is a whole load more friendly when the ground is white. So that above all can only be dubbed 'Good News'. Heres some more good news...I mentioned before the youthful poetry and art collective - CLINIC - who held a night called 'Fear' a few weeks ago. Well, it's now time for them to start collating material for their next event:

"Our new theme has been decided. An amalgam of our collective love of all things kitsch and pearlescent, and our longing to use smoke machines for a night has led us to...

/ / / M A G I C / / /

You have until Friday 29th January to conjur, whether it be prose, poetry, illustration or photography. Send all submissions / enquiries / proposals to CLINICPRESENTS@GMAIL.COM. The climax of this brief will be an exhibiton at Clinic Presents on Feb 11th at the Amersham Arms, and a zine which will be sold at the event."

[ POEJAZZI ]
January 4th

Hello zz's.

Poejazzi? Year of the poet? A beautifully designed flyer? What on earth is this?
In short, it's a 12-month programme of events to highlight and celebrate the brilliance of the spoken word and music scene, during which POEJAZZI will team up with many of the UK's foremost live entertainment venues. Confirmed venues so far include the Camden Crawl, the Ministry of Sound, the Southbank Centre, and The Roundhouse. This night is the launch of it and starts with two musicians and two poets - one of whom is the rather quick tounged ALEX GWYTHER whose spoken word masterpiece 'Saturday Night Fever' is well worth listening hard to.

POEJAZZI is presented and promoted by three of the UK's finest performance poets, Joshua Idehen, Musa OkwongaPast and Inua Ellams. One of Inua's poems has already been chosen for our 'Liberate' issue thanks to it being ruddy wonderful, so feel free to trust his judgement. You have 11 days and counting, visit their MYSPACE if you want to know more.

[ RESOLUTION ]
January 2nd

Hello fresh faces.

Welcome then my soft lighted cherubs, to another new year. A fine opportunity to make a selected list of goals that you will of probably forgotten by June. Don't let this put you off though, the fine art of resolution making lies in making few and specific goals. Perhaps my first should be practice what you preach. Many sneer at the mere idea of setting goals although I can't help feeling it's a necessary exercise. Compile away.

You may also of noticed that the website has had a bit of an overhaul and clean up. We hope you like it and it makes getting around and keeping up to date with Popshot goings on, that little bit easier. Trying to make a website work well seems to be yet another fine art but I hope we're not too far off. If anything is blatantly wrong, please do let us know. We've now stuck the blog onto the frontpage so you can keep up with the verbal vomit without having to click any more buttons - we call it effort efficiency.
So happy new year and may it be the best year yet.

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