The Us & Them Issue in all its split and divided glory with poetic observations on prejudice, hierarchy, class, the rat race and the possibility of us being replaced by robots. Featuring work from over 50 of the finest poets and illustrators. [Click Here] to find out more.
You don't have to of been published a hundred times before to get your poetry into Popshot. In fact, we quite like it if you haven't. [Click Here] to find out more about submitting your poetry.
[ CHRISTMAS GOUT ] Hello christmas stereotypes.
So no doubt you have been dealt this line by a hundred people over the previous days and will be by a hundred more over the forthcoming days. But what irresponsibility I would be advocating if I didn't just for the hell of it, join in. So my friends...
[ VOGUE ] Hello haute coutures.
Hold on a cotton picking minute. Did poetry just become fashion's next best friend? Spotted in a copy of this months VOGUE, here is a photo by the famous David Bailey of 17yr old poet, Jack Stannard, who is tipped to be one of the faces that will define the next decade. High praise indeed. So if you fancy finding out a bit more about poetry's next big thing, go hit up his MYSPACE PAGE and get your ears on some of his poems. Then make a snowman. Then make sure your car's still running. And if all's good on that front, neck a bottle of whiskey with a friend and see what happens...
[ HEAVY PENCIL ] Hello leads.
Oh look! It's another flyer for a splendid looking exhibition of illustration skilltrickery. Clearly christmas is the time for it. This time it comes in the form of 'Heavy Pencil', a night of art and music in association with the ICA, and contains 3 members of the PEEPSHOW COLLECTIVE, one of them being SPENCER WILSON of Popshot #2 fame. Thank you. See the full size version of the flyer - HERE - then make your way down accordingly.
[ PAUL RYDING ] Hello cattles and flocks.
Vastly becoming the norm, I meant to post this ages ago. Blow my blue bits sideways if I only went and forgot. Allow me to pull the strings that hold your eyes in position, over to yet another of our stunning illustrators, PAUL RYDING. Not only did he illustrate a poem for Issue Two - 'The Neighbours From Hell' by Joao Morais, he also recently updated his website to make it all spangly clean. Not only that but I was strolling the streets of Shoreditch but a few days ago and saw his illustrations staring right out at me from the adorned walls of coolcat hangout - Shoreditch Station. If you want to know more about why on earth they are in there, full details are on THIS BLOGPOST at his website. Dig in furry cattle drivers.
[ PRINT CLUB LONDON ] Hello screens.
Since it's the lead up to christmas and you could be stuck for gift ideas, here's a timely intervention from the kids at PRINT CLUB LONDON who are creating a pop up shop for this coming weekend in Brick Lane, East London. One of the fine illustrators involved is our own Issue Two scribbler, JOE WILSON whose work you can pick up in the form of a screenprint for a measly £35. Check out his website to see his portraits of Barack Obama and Gordon Brown which will be available to buy. Also involved is the extremely reputable Emily Alston aka EMILY FORGOT. Get yourself down there over the weekend for an ink heavy christmas experience.
[ MARCIN KULIGOWSKI ] Hello tethers.
We would be fools to not continue our showcase of some of the illustration brilliance that featured in Popshot. So who?
[ CLINICAL BEAR ] Hello origami.
I must admit, I love that feeling when you stumble into something and look behind to see what it was. Upon further analysis, what originally infuriated you at the risk of falling flat on your face, turned out to be a bit of a treat. I can't claim that finding out about 'Fear' was ever at risk of infuriating me but I hope the exaggerated concept makes sense. Now that I've read back over it - it doesn't. Good luck friends.
So rather aptly to this very magazine, 'Fear' is a night of poetry and illustration that is going on at THE LOCK TAVERN in Camden Town, London Town. The poetry comes from poetry collective and arts platform - CLINIC. Illustration comes from a variety of pen pushing souls including KATE COPELAND who was in both Issue 1 and Issue 2. Further names are Jack Hudson, Joakim Ojanen and Anthony Zinonos plus fresh, upcoming talent straight outta London's New Cross. All work has been executed in a perverse flip on the festive period. Comprehensively informed and interested? I hope so. CLICK HERE for a bigger version of the flyer.
[ AMELIA ] Hello vegetables.
Remember AMELIAS MAGAZINE? Suprisingly run by a ladybug called Amelia, the magazine made quite an impression during its ten issue lifespan. Attention to detail such as a Swarovski diamante encrusted cover with a cut out cardboard carousel on its fifth issue certainly helped as well as having a rather handy knack of finding bands and fashion designers just before they got famous. The magazine has since folded but now the first book from the publisher of Amelia’s Magazine will be celebrated with an exhibition and launch party at CONCRETE HERMIT on Tuesday 8th December, from 6.30pm-9.30pm.
The book is called 'Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration' and features profiles of 40 illustrators chosen via open brief, alongside simple explanations and dazzling illustrations of renewable technologies that could help prevent catastrophic climate change. 10 illustrators featured in the book will be taking over the gallery space to create collaborative artwork based on their interpretation of renewable technologies. So if you were down with the whole Amelia thing, get your disco pants on and get yourself a copy from the woman herself.
[ WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN FOOL? ] Hello loyalty.
Inexcusable apologies for leaving this blog so unattended. Things have been getting wonderfully busy around here. As a result of the liquidation and imminent closedown of BORDERS we've been busy burrowing through pages of scribbled ideas to think of ways to keep ourselves out there. We'll also be unveiling a newer website in the new year to make browsing this poetry & illustration area of wonderment that bit easier.
So, sorry to harp on about it but we've had a little more press over the last couple of weeks which is splendid for spreading the Popshot word to the masses. Print wise, we got a small article written about us in this months COMPUTER ARTS magazine which looks at the minimalists stripping design bare. So that's us presumably. You can pick up a copy of that from any reputable newsagents across the lands. We also got a rather complimentary write up on the fabulous BOOK BY ITS COVER as well as a mention on the URBAN OUFITTERS BLOG. Looks like poetry and fashion have finally made friends. Good to know. So that's the self indulgent shizzle out of the way.
Submissions continue to thunder in like an unstoppable tide on the theme for our next issue - Liberate. I've said this before but I'll certainly say it again; please pay attention to the submission guidelines on the SUBMIT page. If the poems aren't relevant to the theme and are over 25 lines they don't stand a chance of getting in however beautifully composed they may be. So if you have been thinking of penning a few words towards a page on a liberation style subject matter, we would love to see it. SUBMIT@POPSHOTPOPSHOT.COM. Tally hoy.
[ BORDERS ] Hello demolishers.
This doesn't look overly rosy for small magazine publishers across the land > BORDERS SET TO GO INTO ADMINISTRATION
[ POWDER ROOM ] Hello supporters.
Yes, yes, yes. Calm yourselves down and put a wet flannel uponst your fevering forehead - it's that time of the month again. Bang Said The Gun is on this Thursday and you might want to go have a peep, if for no other reason than feline curiosity. There's more information and a load of accompanying old codswallop at the newly updated website - BANGSAIDTHEGUN.COM. They also used some Popshot quotes on this months flyer. Oh, go on then...
On the old live matter, I made it down to the Rhymes Won't Wait night that I popped up a little post about further down this page. Was absolutely blown away by some of the spoken wordtrickery that was going on - a further testament to the fact that there are some truly talented poets walking our 21st century streets. I'll keep you updated with any events they may be doing in the future, here. Massive thanks to Sabrina Mahfouz who produced the show and invited us along. Peace and poetry nights x
[ WENDY MARCHBANKS ] Hello interiors.
Allow me to roll out (ouch) one of our illustrators for Issue Two, a lady who specialises in applying her illustration work to interior design. We asked her to take a break from designing domestic wonders and illustrate a poem instead. Pictured is a tiny section of a wallpaper she designed - reference yourself back to the 'roll out' quip that I am already hideously ashamed of but too stubborn to erase. So without further wordplay ado, I give you the impressively named WENDY MARCHBANKS.
[ COVERAGE ] Hello directions.
Sorry for the lack of anything in the last few days, I would love to make you a promise that it was worth the wait but I'm not convinced it is. Just to let you know that we updated our PRESS page with a few more complimentary bits of writing here and there. One of the mentions was from Italian fashion magazine - KULT but since my Italian is not merely shocking but completely non-existent - I have no idea what it says. Google translate seems to be little help. So if you speak Italian and can be bothered to email us and tell us what the review says, we'd be mighty grateful.
We also had an interview on the OPEN MAGAZINE website a few days ago, so thank you to Loma who asked the questions, runs the site and is due to have a baby pop out of her on New Years Day. So go read that if you care. If you don't, read it anyway. We also have an article in the forthcoming Computer Arts Magazine. More on that when it happens. x
[ MEMORIES ] Hello left hand sides.
Just wanted to draw your retinas over to a new project called Memories, the brainchild of freelance writer and editor - Garrick Webster, DAHRA and a host of other creative souls. Memories will take the form of an art book which will look at the thoughts and experiences of individuals who have survived cancer, as well as those of people who have lost loved ones. There will be ten commissioned stories inside, with a further two stories open for submission. Each story will look at one person’s recollection of a particular day in the struggle against cancer. For each of these ‘memories’ a dozen leading artists, illustrators and designers will be creating their own visual response.
So where do you come in? There is an open submissions category, so if you have a story to tell about how you, or someone you know, has beaten cancer or about a loved one who was taken by the disease - the peeps at Memories want to hear from you. Everything you could need to know about the project is HERE and if you have a story about cancer, everything you could need to know about submitting it is HERE. I'll be helping to choose the winning submissions so if you want to articulate your experience, get involved.
[ VALERO VALERO ] Hello serbians.
If you haven't heard of VALERO DOVAL you've either been spending a majority of your time under a rock or there's another perfectly good excuse why not. So heres a chance to put an end to the madness and acquaint yourself with his work. He came up with the illustration to go with the poem 'Buttonhead' by Ben Rogers in the Us & Them issue and has created work for numerous reputable clients. The image above is from an editorial piece he knocked up for The New York Times. Originally from Valencia, he now lives and works in London. Go give his website one of your cyberpunches, it's worth it.
[ RHYMES WON'T WAIT ] Hello twiddles.
Got this through from one of our poets for the current issue, Sabrina Mahfouz, who is involved in a pretty impressive sounding event. It's called 'Rhymes Won't Wait' and is being held at SOUND in Leicester Square, London on the 20th November. Heres some copy and paste:
Rhymes Won't Wait is guaranteed to be a must-see for anyone interested in London's ever-growing spoken word scene. This is the first time a dedicated spoken word event will be performed collaboratively between mentored and leading artists, the material being written in response to some of the most pressing issues of our time, all in partnership with the UK's leading charities. The socially-engaged subject of the first event is 'Conflict' and the night will have short talks from charities such as LOVE MUSIC HATE RACISM and TRAID. Performances will come from peeps such as Hollie McNish, Deanna Rodger, Catherine Brogan, Dean Atta, Sabrina Mahfouz and over 10 further emerging talents.
Tickets are £3 in adv if you book at HTTP://RHYMESWONTWAIT.EVENTBRITE.COM or £5 on the door. We'll be there, hopefully you will be too.
[ SUBMIT! ] Hello tickovers.
That's right, it's that time of year again where we begin to collect up the volatile deposits of your poetic creative juice. It's messy but we're fine with it. So if you fancy a pop at having your poetry in Popshot Issue Three, have a peep at the poetry submission guidelines below:
The theme is 'Liberate'.
Please also include a paragraph or two about who you are and a short explanation of the poem itself, why you came to write it and what it means to you. Submit poems by email to SUBMIT@POPSHOTPOPSHOT.COM by the 31st January at the very latest.
So get your wordhat on and we look forward to reading your poetry. x
[ BANG FOR THE FUN ] Hello neons.
Yes, your brain isn't playing bullet tricks on you, I definitely have mentioned BANG SAID THE GUN before. Except this time I speak with an air of knowledge on the whole matter. I managed to make it to one of their nights last night which was quite comprehensively the best poetry night I have ever been to. Described by their fair selves as 'mud wrestling with words', it was the finest portrayal of how performance poetry should be. Entertaining, inclusive, crude and at times rather challenging to the strength of your bladder. Some outrageously original stuff from Rob Auton amongst others, including a poem about the emotional turmoil leaves go through in Autumn, complete with props.
So if you thought poetry nights were a little dry, think again. Hit up BANG SAID THE GUN whenever possible. They have a new website on the way so watch out for it. Toodle. x
[ HENRI DRAWS ] Hello finger blisters.
Continuing our showcase of the illustrators in Issue Two, here is todays one to marvel at - HENRI DRAWS. It's fairly impossible to tell you much more than the fact that his name might be Henri, he draws and after studying for five years in Belgium, now resides in Paris. Ladies and gentlemen - je suis fini. x
[ BOOK CLUB BOUTIQUE ] Hello fiddlers.
I was absolutely convinced I had mentioned THE BOOK CLUB BOUTIQUE at some point before but it seems the old brain cells decided to stop functioning altogether. So here is the mention. One of our poets for this issue, Sabrina Mahfouz, has performed there a few times and their next night is on this coming Monday in the heart of London. If you want to find out more about what a literary salon looks and feels like, make your way down. Theres more information about the night HERE. Thank you Facebook.
Also, in case you haven't noticed, we've made a few changes to how the website works. You can now view Issue Two in a little more detail and with a little more information if you click on over to the CURRENT ISSUE tab in the links to the left. Splendid. In other news - the clocks have changed. Enjoy the extra hour of sleep. Peace and pillows.
[ REVIEWS ] Hello afterthoughts.
Funny things, reviews, mainly due to the fact that an entire readership will assume an opinion on something, based on one persons opinion. However, without them, magazines like this never get a proper airing so it's with a degree of euphoria that we got a glowing review on The Economists sister magazine blog - INTELLIGENT LIFE. Writing it was Molly Young, a 22yr-old writer from New York who's making some rather good waves on the wordsmiths ocean. Go tickle your eye on it.
In contrast, we got a not quite so glowing but rather balanced review from THE LONDONIST. All publicity is good publicity...right?
[ SHELF LIFE ] Hello best before ends.
Popshot Two is now on the shelves of London bookstores and will be elsewhere across the UK early next week. Here's what Islington looks like. Well done Islington. We should going into a few more independent stores within the next few weeks as well, Manchesters CORNERHOUSE being the latest addition. Keep your eye on the stockists page as we go.
I made it to the famous FRIEZE ART FAIR this weekend swathed in a duffel coat and a desire for gloves. Friezing indeed...whoops. Was predictably most drawn to the more illustrative pieces despite the fact that illustration is generally regarded as the class geek by fine art. Made me realise there is a beauty within practicality and purpose. Concept is altogether a little too distant for me to make out at times although I quite liked the Zero Gallery's approach - one piece of work on display. Genius.
[ THE POSTAL SERVICE ] Hello unions.
Due to our wonderful national postal service insisting on yet another strike, I'm afraid many of our recent orders are currently caught up in the backlog of Royal Mail postal bags lying about the country. So please don't panic if you have ordered a copy and it's already a bit late - it should be with you soon. To tie in with this topic, heres a bit of Royal Mail trivia:
There you go. Peace and postage stamps. x
[ WITH ALMEROTH ] Hello thank god its not a friday's.
So now is probably a good time to start introducing some of the illustrators who helped doodle together the Us & Them Issue. First up, very possibly one of the future faces of illustration's glory days - DANIEL ALMEROTH. Hes already done stuff for .Cent Magazine, Amelias Magazine and is a part of the illustration collective - CRABWOLF - along with four other rather exciting looking illustrators. Here's his creation for the poem 'Inside the Machine' by David Byrne.
[ POP ] Hello fashion.
We never would of thought that poetry could of got cool enough to be featured on one of the blogs of cult fashion magazine, POP, but it seems we were wrong. So ditch your high waisted skirts and chiselled cheekbones my friends - poetrys the new bag. Maybe. You can see the post from one of their bloggers - HERE. I'm off to go and wrench myself into some skinny fits...
[ EXPERIMENT TO DETERMINE THE EXISTENCE OF LOVE ] Hello equations.
Amidst the flurry of excitement of Issue Two, I forgot to post this when I saw it, so although its late, its better than never. Courtesy of the ever brilliant publishing house, PENNED IN THE MARGINS, heres an animated piece of poetical hilarity from one of their very own, Ross Sutherland. Oh and in case you didn't know, today is NATIONAL POETRY DAY 2009. Do something poetic with it. Tell you what, HERE'S A GOOD THING you could get today...shameless. Utterly shameless. x
[ ISSUE TWO IS HERE ] Hello haberdashers.
Its here! Hurrah! Theres a certain sense of momentousness when an issue finally arrives back from the printers after 5 months in the making, from the start of the call for submissions to the final thing arriving in a plethora of couriered boxes. So ladies and gentlemen, I give to you our Issue Two - Us & Them. This time with an extra eight pages, a thicker cover, 24 poems from some of the finest poetry talents, work from 28 illustrators including Spencer Wilson, Valero Doval, Clare Mallison, Henri Draws and Daniel Almeroth to name but a few. To flick through a few of the pages yourself, you can go to the BUY PAGE and if you're really feeling mental, you can even purchase a copy there and then and expect it on your doormat within a matter of days.
So to celebrate we also thought we'd give the old website a bit of a clean up and a facelift. If theres any niggling problems that you spot, feel free to let us know by emailing the usual address at HELLO@POPSHOTPOPSHOT.COM. We also now have a Stockists, Subscribe and Press page and an increased knowledge of bodged html. Don't tell anyone. All contributors copies will be sent out tomorrow so if you're wondering where yours has got to, its not far away. Issue Two will hit bookshops within the next couple of weeks so if thats your bag, we have it packed. That it? My garden rake it is.
[ FRANK SPENCER ] Hello mothers.
A many moons ago when my legs were of a shorter disposition, I stumbled across the work of SPENCER WILSON thanks to him being a part of the PEEPSHOW COLLECTIVE. So after creating work for The Guardian, The Telegraph and Design Week amongst others, I'm happy as hats to reveal he's illustrated one of the poems for the forthcoming Popshot #2. Pippin and feather chaps.
[ SAVE OUR PRESSES ] Hello feather dippers.
Wanted to draw your attention to the recent SAVE OUR PRESSES campaign by the ever involved INCWRITERS who are campaigning to promote poetry and fiction presses across the UK. Incwriters are launching the Save Our Presses Campaign in Autumn 2009 with several UK publishers and never ones to miss out on grabbing a warm hand, we are one of a selection of publishers who are a part of it. Also involved are literal scoundrels such as THE LONDON MAGAZINE and BRAND. So although I have absolutely no idea what this entails, it sounds like a whip crackingly good idea.
[ CONCRETE RUBBISH ] Hello astronauts.
Recently got this through from the alliteratively named Robert Rubbish, largely associated with the wonderous workings of LE GUN MAGAZINE. Read it and weep into a small CONCRETE HERMIT shaped box:
Messengers of Her Majesty's Royal Cosmic Empire
Robert Rubbish and Chris Bianchi (of Le Gun magazine and Bare Bones tabloid) bring you a unique collaboration. They will be
transforming the Concrete Hermit gallery into an interstellar installation that coincides with the 40 year anniversary of the first
man on the moon. They will be showing their cosmic collections of curiosities. The artists will be exhibiting their own individual
artworks as well as collaborative paintings drawings and assemblages made specifically for the show. The pair take their
inspirations from the time they spent creating and running a modern day curiosity shop in Hackney in 2007 as well as many other
sources including the films of Alejandro Jodorowsky, space rock, dipsomania, the occult, magic, Catholicism, James Ensor,
chemical memories, psychedelic experiences, death and Belgium. The exhibition will also have special events programmed
including a requiem mass on the last day - Halloween.
[ PROOF ] Hello penultimates.
Thought it would be a bon idee to keep you involved in the process of creating #2. So we received the proof copies of Popshot last week which is basically the final check over before sending the magazine to its birth on the proper printing presses. So have had the extremely exciting job of feeling bits of paper and trawling the pages to find mistakes. This week the magazine should go to press and be available to buy fairly shortly after, presuming we don't have the same page drying problems as last time - one shortfall of printing the whole ruddy thing in black ink. We'll keep you posted.
[ NUDE ] Hello bodies.
Just fell upon the information that one of our poets for Issue #1 - Nuala Ní Chonchúir, who wrote the poem 'Fairy Light Lingerie' has a book of her words out under the mighty wing of SALT PUBLISHING. Its called NUDE and the central theme revolves around the fascination of the unclothed body, in bedrooms, in art, and in and out of love. So a hearty congratulations to Nuala for it. What a fine excuse to sink a couple of gins.
[ BANG SAID THE GUN ] Hello triggers.
Its always with a toothy grin that one meets the feeling that theres another entity elsewhere whos pretty much treading the same path as you are. So when I bumped into the notion of BANG SAID THE GUN halfway through a sprightly walk, it was a rather pleasant suprise. Claims of being a "poetry night for people who don't necessarily sleep under duvets made from poetry books" are enough to convince me that this is not a poetry night born from the same mould of many other dry poetry nights that exist. So if you want to test the theory, heres the necessaries:
Bang! Said The Gun
Peace and bullets.
[ LOCKE LOCKE, COME IN ] Hello breakfasts of champions.
Yes, its that time again! Felt we owed the spilling gifts of PETE LOCKE a long overdue mention after he made an illustration for #1 then created an illustration for #2 in double quick time to get us out of a rather snug fitting pickle. Pictured is a recent piece he did simply titled 'Kurt Vonnegut'. Believe it or not, its in homage to Kurt Vonnegut. Keep your eye on him.
[ WORDS CONVERGE ] Hello poppycocks.
Ever enthused with taking words off the page and shoving them somewhere else or on something else, get your eye sockets on this copy and paste:
Words Converge is a typographic installation featuring fragments of text by young poets floating on spherical weather balloons – perfect forms which, though fragile, can reach the very limits of the sky.
The 20-odd balloons turn stone grey on contact with the air as they spiral down the Kings Place atrium, suspended on nylon filaments.
The minimal typeface converge was created especially for this event. Based on the convergence of lines in the horizon, its sharp forms contrast with the softness of the balloons. Digital artwork acts as a virtual library of texts from Greece, Georgia, Israel, Romania and the UK, exploring the elemental and transitory nature of poetry. The installation is part of the British Council's Creative Collaboration partnership, was created by TEXT/GALLERY and was commissioned by POET IN THE CITY.
It's on at the KINGS PLACE until September 13th. Get your balloons out.
[ LIKE GLUE ] Hello adhesives.
Felt like the time was right to release the cover of Issue #2 for all to see. The illustration was created by the splendidity of CITY ABYSS who is rapidly becoming somewhat of a Popshot favourite. We're looking to have the magazine on the shelves within the month and as always you'll be able to buy the magazine direct from the website. We'll keep you posted.
Also, a small condensed update on goings on for Issue #2. Sorry I've been absent - heart grows fonder and all that mishmash. So the illustration deadline has passed and we've received a hoarde of beautiful pictorial poetry translations which I'm outrageously excited about putting into print. Naturally theres a few things that need chasing up here and there but hopefully the final file should be sent to the printer within the week. As always, a big thanks to all the poets and illustrators involved, you've been better than Burt Bacharach and this issue is shaping up to be a rather spiffing one. Back soon. x
[ DEADLINE ] Hello photocopiers.
The illustration deadline for our second issue is rapidly approaching and all being well we should have a full compliment of illustrated poems by the end of the month. We've already received a beautiful piece (not the one above) from the strange and wonderful JOE WILSON amomgst others. His work really is a surreal sight to behold and we're chuffed into many little bits to have him being a part of #2.
I'm going to be away from Popshot HQ over the next week so although I'll be regularly in touch with the email, any orders that come in during that time will be slightly delayed so please don't panic if you order a copy and its not there sharpish. Thats us.
[ DAZED ] Hello quintessentials.
We got a delightful review in this months issue of DAZED AND CONFUSED which is certainly no bad thing. I answered a few questions a little while ago with Books Editor, Stuart Hammond and hes cobbled them together into a small piece about the magazine. Its like that famous phrase - all good publicity is good publicity. So if you find yourself in front of a copy have a cheeky look, it won't hurt. Big thanks to Stuart for shoehorning the scatty answers into something worth reading. Scurry pip. x
[ CROQUET ] Hello threadbares.
Just pilfered this off THE GUARDIAN. To celebrate the 100th year of the POETRY SOCIETY doing their thing, they're commissioning over 800 knitters to knit individual letters for the worlds first giant knitted poem which will be unveiled in October. Its not yet known which poem will be chosen but it should certainly make for a fine quilt. Might be difficult to wash though...
[ QUENTIN BLAKE ] Hello blood and bile.
This image was shamelessly pilfered and this information shamelessly thieved from the aesthetic soldier symposium of ITS NICE THAT. The long and short of it - legendary illustrator Quentin Blake currently has an exhibition on at the V&A MUSEUM OF CHILDHOOD with pieces from his work with Roald Dahl. It runs until September 6th and if I don't go and see it before it finishes, i'll ceremoniously eat a whole jar of pickles out of an old hat.
[ LAUREN NASSEF ] Hello burglars.
I just saw this posted on the rather wonderful BOOK BY ITS COVER and had to pass on the news. One of our illustrators for the first issue, the alarmingly talented LAUREN NASSEF has recently become the victim of one of the most outrageous displays of plagiarism I have ever seen. In short, a toerag by the name of Samantha Beeston stole over 30 of Lauren's works (and counting) and completely ripped them off. She even ended up winning a TEXPRINT award for it and got £750 prize money. Beeston - may the ground fall from beneath your feet. Read a much better article on this - HERE.
Pictured is Lauren's illustration for the poem 'Fairy Light Lingerie' in Issue One. If anyone steals it, there'll be trouble...
[ VAROOM ] Hello world.
Its all very well being rammed securely up ones own rectum but its not unless other people ram themselves up there as well that you can be totally sure its a place worth being. So hopefully after a small review of Popshot in the latest issue of VAROOM MAGAZINE, a few people might come join us up here. For those not in the know, Varoom is probably the biggest magazine of illustration and made image around, supported by THE ASSOCIATION OF ILLUSTRATORS. So a huge thank you to the editor, Mr John O' Reilly, for liking Popshot enough to write something all warm and fuzzy about it.
[ GORDON RAMSAY ] Hello white noise.
Submissions for Issue Two are now closed. We managed to receive our last submission at 11.56PM last night. So thank you as always to every single soul who felt the desire strong enough to send a poem or two in. We had a fantastic response and have now collated 24 poems together that we're pretty ruddy happy with and sent them off to various illustrators across the globe. More on everything as we go.
PS. Popshot will now be stocked in your local Borders in the Literature section. Should you feel the urge to go purchase a copy, we promise, we won't stop you. Peace and paper.
[ TWEET TWEET ] Hello wings.
Don't worry, this isn't the onset of Alzheimers. I know I mentioned LIKESTARLINGS a few weeks ago regarding their first held event. Thats now been and gone but in the gifted interim time period they've managed to redesign and update their site. So its plenty prettier these days and has alot more poetry conversations up to go and let sink in. If this means nothing to you you can either go to the WEBSITE and find out more or scroll down to June 4th and become enlightened. Now off you pop you lovely thing.
[ BARTONS BRITAIN ] Hello vocals.
Although I don't regard myself as much of a numpty, after a friend directed me to the pages of THE GUARDIAN'S 'BARTONS BRITAIN', I seriously questioned my numptyness in not noticing it before. The videos and scribblings found there are the gently poetic findings and observations of Laura Barton after travelling the length and breadth of Britains peculiarity. Personal favourite - THE M1 MOTORWAY. Wonder of the Ordinary indeed. Second to that, Laura Bartons voice. Wish I could speak like that...
The video above retraces the train journey that inspired Philip Larkin to write the poem 'The Whitsun Weddings'.
[ 9772041438005 01 ] Hello lines and numbers.
So off go 350 magazines with 350 barcodes on them to hopefully fall onto Borders shelves within a few weeks. Next stop, fame and wealth...
[ TWO TWO ] Hello fractures.
A little update on the whirlwind times of Popshot. Actually probably more of a gentle breeze. Thought i'd keep the hordes informed of goings on and merriments round here. We recently hooked up with magazine distributors Central Books who in a short while will be popping the magazine into Borders stores across the country. So for those of you who are too nervous or traditional to order over the internet, you'll soon be able to peruse and purchase a copy in real life. Have been bumbling along the road of getting the magazine into small independent stores as well.
The creation of Issue Two is now well underway. Poetry submissions continue to roll in and hopefully will do until the end of submissions on the 31st July. So if you've been considering sending in one of your masterpieces, we'd love to see it. We also have a pretty incredible group of illustrators lined up for Issue Two and the standard should be rather epic this time round. Other than that, its all barcodes and dots per inch round here. We'll save that for a very rainy day. And thats your short and sweets my furry compadres.
[ STRANGERS AND STRANGENESS ] Hello friday.
Having not personally sampled one of these nights I can't vouch for its greatness, however any event that PoetryFilm puts on tends to sound on the side of intruiging. Always held at the Curzon Cinema's in London, this ones called 'Strangers and Strangeness' and is an evening of poetry inspired films, poetry on film, and live poetry readings. Four films are being shown which you can read about in greater length - HERE. The photo above is one of the images from Marco Sanges photographic film 'Circumstances'. Jolly good show.
[ AL DENTE ] Hello gums.
Ladies and gentlemen - I give you MR MATT DENT. One of a wave of beautifully colourful, bold and relatively abstract illustrators - here is the piece he magicked up to go alongside the poem ' The Just's Umbrella'. He's also just updated his site with some new stuff including a t-shirt design he did with Bloc Party. Grandiostata.
[ POETRY & TENNIS ] Hello racket.
Who knew poetry and tennis were friends? Not me. This may be a clip from last years Wimbledon but figured it was timeless enough to hold its shape a year later. Regard then my dear vagabonds, a poetry reading from two of tennis' greats - Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal reading If by Rudyard Kipling. To be taken with a minute pinch of salt...
[ LONDON LITERATURE FESTIVAL ] Hello sweat.
If you can manage to wipe the tight hugging sweat off your brow and find the amount of concentration required to appreciate this, then hurrah. LONDON LITERATURE FESTIVAL PAGE
A rather comprehensive number of nights and events are going on, so if you have a spare few minutes from the 2nd - 16th July, pop on your khaki shorts and go listen to some happy juice.
[ NEWSPAPER BLACKOUT ] Hello deckchairs.
I'm hopping over the fence of originality on this one, although a soul once said that theres no such thing as an original idea, only an authentic one. Just wanted to draw your attention to the work of AUSTIN KLEON - a writer who draws. The general idea: take a newspaper article and attack it armed only with a marker pen and the power of selectivity. One of those things I wish I had thought up but didn't. His Newspaper Blackout poems have been so well received that a collection of them is forthcoming from HarperCollins in February 2010. Good news. So for higher quality images of his poems and more of them, go push your double clicker to AUSTINKLEON.COM and have an old fashioned ruddy good time.
[ SHOULDN'T YOU BE OUTSIDE? ] Hello longest day.
I had to post this one up. One of the better viral adverts for a poetry competition that I've seen. Thats a lie. Its the only viral advert for a poetry competition I've seen. So incase you're not aware of it, The Foyle Young Poets Award is the work of the POETRY SOCIETY in promoting poetry to the up and coming literary rapscallions of the albion. So if you're aged between 11 - 17 and the idea of writing down a few pretty words works in your head, get involved at FOYLEYOUNGPOETS.ORG. Find your voice.
[ POUNDS ] Hello heart failure.
I know we've mentioned these particular minerals only recently but it would never be for anything other than a good reason. Aside from being one of the finest things to lightly pour into a wound, SALT is also one of the UK's most exciting book publishers which you may remember from their 'Just One Book' campaign a few weeks ago.
[ BACK TO MINE FOR MOONSHINE ] Hello swindlers.
Perhaps this is a bad idea or perhaps its the best idea i've had to leak images of the magazine onto this here blog. I've decided to run away with the latter. So this is the illustration created by the sprightly scrawl of ROSIE GAINSBOROUGH, currently studying at one of Englands finest universities for illustration - Brighton. Somewhat suprisingly it was commissioned to accompany a poem called 'Washing Up Brush'. Shes also part of a fine illustration collective called ILLUSTRATORS ELBOW who look set to adorn the doodle world over the next few years. We may of already stolen another one of them for Issue Two...keep your necks out.
In Popshot tomfoolery, things are ahappening here and over there. We're in the process of sorting out distribution contracts which means if you're piddle scared of buying stuff over the internet, you'll soon be able to find Popshot in a bookshop near you, all being well. More on that when it happens. Poetry and illustration submissions continue to tumble in which is not only enthralling for us to look through but is also helping to raise the quality for our second issue. So hurrah for the one stone and two birds. This has been June 15th, you've been brilliant.
[ A VIEW OF LONDON ] Hello blimps.
Yet again unforgivably late notice but then that seems to be the way we roll in this outfit. A VIEW OF LONDON, an exhibition of illustrations showing different aspects of the Capital and life in London is on at the LONDON TRANSPORT MUSEUM until June 14th. Organised in partnership with the Association of Illustrators, some of the UK's best illustrators were invited to submit works of art that portray the city as an exciting and varied place for Londoners, commuters and visitors, along with information about the inspiration behind the illustration.
Its on for another 4 days and everything you could ever hope to know about it is available HERE. Go disco if you get the chance.
[ LIKESTARLINGS ] Hello flocks.
Just wanted to draw your cracked attention to the work of LIKESTARLINGS. Anyone who checks this inane babble box very often will know we're a fan of poetry in context. In fact, context in general is hideously underrated so paint your ears and draw your eyes to the new art of 'talking in poems'.
The idea is simple. Pair poets who don’t know each other, start with a poem by one of them, the other writes a poem in response, the first responds to that poem with a poem and they respond in succession until five new poems ,and a conversation of six, are written. So with your freshly painted ears and pencilled eyes, you'll be able to see the magic happen live at their very first event which happens on the 25th June in Londinium Town.
LIKESTARLINGS.COM for more on the event and everything you could ever need to know about starlings.
[ MONDAY MORNING SAYS ] Hello technicality.
One of our illustrators for Issue One, Gwen Lee, is part of an exhibition along with three other Korean illustrators in the low key creative capital of East London from June 4th - 9th. If you fancy popping in for a rub and a tickle, hit their collective blog - MONDAY MORNING SAYS - for everything you could ever need to know. And in case you hadn't noticed, its June. Welcome to the lobster territory. x
[ SKIZZOMAT ] Hello bit of this, bit of that.
If you've been clever enough to click the 'View the Magazine' link on the homepage you will of seen this made image by the montaged mind of Skizzomat already. If you've already bought a copy you'll also of seen this image already. But if you've done neither, heres an image made by the montaged mind of Skizzomat. A Berlin based illustrator, this is the illustration that accompanies the poem 'Milkman' in Issue One.
[ SEVEN MINUTES ] Hello sleazes.
As a general rule, Popshot supports shorter poetry for the swift of foot, impatient of mind or appreciator of the more succinct. Also because as a general rule, more prose like poetry can tend to lose you somewhere along the way if your heart isn't really in it. However, after being referred to the poetry of Andrew Mears I found a thicker appreciation of the more prosey poem although its naturally easier to swallow in performance.
[ SALT TROUBLE ] Hello pickaxes.
Just got this through from the up until now, rather prolific SALT PUBLISHING. Regard and if possible, react:
"We have been struggling to keep SALT moving since June last year when the economic downturn began to affect our press. Our three year funding ends this year: we've £4,000 due from Arts Council England in a final payment, but cannot apply through Grants for the Arts for further funding for SALT'S operations. Spring sales were down nearly 80% on the previous year, and despite April's much improved trading, the past twelve months has left us with a budget deficit of over £55,000. It's proving to be a very big hole and we're having to take some drastic measures to save our business.
Blimey. So go buy a book and then tell your friends. The overwhelming number of links should guide you...
[ WHY POETRY MATTERS ] Hello scamperers.
Classicly late notice but should you be staying in tomorrow/today/this/that night - you could do worse things than watch 'Why Poetry Matters' Wednesday 20th, 9pm on BBC2 as part of the BBC's 'Poetry Season'. Hosted by the rather treasured Griff Rhys Jones, apparently its a passionate plea for why poetry matters. No doubt a further reflection on the great poems and poets of years gone by, but you never ruddy know - it could include something from the last decade. So hold onto your hats for that. If you don't have access to the BBC via your television set, you can always catch it on the >
[ MARGARINE ] Hello notes.
PENNED IN THE MARGINS are one of the finer poetry book publishers today, taking contemporary, up and coming poets who have genuine talent. Their most recent publication is 'City State' which showcases the work of twenty-seven London writers between the ages of 16 and 36. From hyperlinked walks of Battersea bombsites and guerilla gardening projects to jagged urban lyrics and dark hymns to the East End, City State presents a confident, entertaining and truly diverse snapshot of the best new poetry from London.
Join us at East End boozer The Bell (formerly The Market Trader) to celebrate the launch of City State, with readings by the poets.
The Market Trader
Readers on the night:
Amy Key, Jacob Sam-La Rose, Jon Stone, Jow Lindsay, Kirsten Irving, Ashna Sarkar, Chris Horton, Wayne Holloway-Smith, Laura Forman, Chris McCabe, Siddhartha Bose.
[ HANDQUIZ ] Hello pitchforks.
In one of my more reflective moments, I stumbled upon the notion that since Issue One arrived you've stopped hearing about whos in it. So to continue the series, I give you Swedens very own pencil wielding trojan who had the shortest time to pop out an illustration out of the lot - EMMA HANQUIST. Heres the illustration she produced for one of the poems in the magazine entitled 'Nubilous Jubilous'.
In other news, Popshot is also soon to be stocked at the famous MAGMA BOOKS and East Londons hidden gem, CONCRETE HERMIT. So we're pretty fluffed up about that. Copies continue to fly into the letterbox that sits patiently across the road from Popshot Towers although we're not in too much danger of running out just yet. As always, thanks to every scoundrel thats purchased a copy - its all helping to pay for the paper for Issue Two. Tally ho.
[ PUBLIC ] Hello CCCCCC on 000000.
Just wanted to thank the good souls that felt it worthy to mention this young upstart of a magazine. All publicity is good publicity and thankfully all the publicity has been good publicity. So after that seemingly intelligent but actually ridiculous sentence, heres a thank you to Will at ITS NICE THAT, New York Times' very own Khoi Vinh at SUBTRACTION, inspirational design resource DIRTY MOUSE and the wonderfully enthusiastic Erin Loechner at DESIGN FOR MANKIND. Cue the applause.
In illustration based opportunity, Amelia of AMELIAS MAGAZINE fame is up to some print based tomfoolery again after having stopped the press on the popular Amelias Magazine following its 10th issue. This time shes creating an anthology of illustration on all things environmental. If you fancy being a part of it, you can read the fairly lengthy and challenging submission guidelines HERE. And that should pretty much fill your link quota for the hour. Over and out.
[ I SEE A ] Hello flying shelves.
Since knowledge is power and this is knowledge (although of a rather miniscule form), Popshot is now to be stocked in the ICA in London. So if you like to browse through things before buying them, its good news. Its going to run alongside an exhibition there called CONCRETE POETRY which is on from June 17th - August 23rd and could be on the more fascinating side of things. Go read the blurb then set a reminder on your phone.
[ SUBMISSIONS FOR ISSUE TWO ] Hello rapscallions.
The theme is 'Us and Them'.
Please also include a paragraph or two about who you are and a short explanation of the poem itself, why you came to write it and what it means to you.
Submit poems by email to SUBMIT@POPSHOTPOPSHOT.COM by the 31st July at the very latest.
So theres the gubbins. We outrageously look forward to reading your poems and we'll make the final selection shortly after the closing date.
[ POET LAUREATE ] Hello traditions.
In case you hadn't heard which you probably have, Carol Ann Duffy has now become the new Poet Laureate. Considering jobs in toilet maintenance seem to be more sought after than being Poet Laureate, good luck to the lady.
[ LONDON ZINE SYMPOSIUM ] Hello muses.
Although they may be the baby brothers (or sisters depending on your strength of feminism) of magazines, theres alot to be learnt from the world of zines. So if you have any interest in handmade creativity, heres the official line:
'The London Zine Symposium is a annual event where people interested in zine culture can get together, buy or sell zines, meet up and share ideas. It aims to bring people together and help to strengthen the DIY zine scene. This year there'll be over 65 stalls from across Europe and entry is free.'
[ ITS HAMMERTIME ] Hello musical classics.
Event! This came through from Laura Alvarado:
'It's Hammertime' is an unmissable auction of beautiful and original artwork donated from some of the most exciting names in the world of design and illustration!!! Upon arrival, pay £3 for your handmade 'Bidder's Bling' and you'll be in with a chance of taking home a beauty from at least one of our generous contributors such as Rob Ryan, David Foldvari, Tom Gauld, Martin O'Neill... to name only a few!
So there you go. If you're not doing it for a piece of illustrative wonderment - do it for the kids.
[ ISSUE ONE HAS ARRIVED! ] Hello paper sniffers.
Here is a slight amendment. Having worked on this magazine constantly for the last few months, I can tend to forget that not all of you have been thinking about it day in, day out as well. So in the interests of clarity, here is a short breakdown of what you get for your 600 pennies (hometown dependent).
It's an A5, 56 page art book/magazine showcasing the talents of todays finest poets and illustrators. Featuring 24 poems with 24 accompanying illustrations, all laced together in FSC earth friendly paper which you'll either think smells amazing or horrible depending on your orientation. There are no reviews, no opinionated articles and no glorification of established poets or illustrators. We don't want to preach to you, we just want to show you something you might like.
We now have just under 100kg of Popshot Magazines to shift (pictured above) so if what you just heard sounds like something you could write home about, you can click on any of the plethora of 'BUY NOW' buttons around the website. Remember, postage is absolutely free so you don't need to worry your pretty little head about it.
[ VIDEOTRY ] Hello repeats.
Its always interesting to see the different variations on the delivery of poetry. Heres an accompanying video to the poem 'TV Screens' by the Trimble brothers. You could also refer to this as 'videoetry' but I'm not convinced I'm ready for that yet. Regarde!
Also, Popshot Towers is going to be empty for the rest of the week and upon return shall unleash a slightly revised version of the website and will be holding Popshot Issue One in hand. So there will be a short interlude. I will try and pick up email from where I am, so don't let that stop you sending us copious amounts of love or whatever you can come up with. Toodles.
[ BOB LONDON ] Hello new tax year.
Bob London - man of few words and ruddy brilliant on the portraits. Another of our fine illustrators for Issue One.
[ FOOLISH SEVENS ] Hello broken limbs.
April fools? I would attempt to play a trick on you but I fear my creativity doesn't stretch that far.
Speaking of magazine issues and stuff, we were aiming for the 1st April to start sending copies of Issue One out to all those that pre-ordered. However, I've had word from the printers and they won't be able to have them to Popshot towers until Monday 6th as the fellow thats binding them all together can't do it until Friday. Brilliant. All the envelopes are addressed and ready to go on Monday - so apologies for the few days late but patience is a virtue and all that...
[ ROAR ] Hello words only.
Yes, its true - today there is no picture and this update is tiny. The poetry and spoken word hub that is METAROAR seems to be warming back up after lying very still for quite a while. I'm under the impression theres changes afoot so although progress is slow and relatively sporadic, for poetry and spoken word news and opportunities pop over once in a while.
And thats monday. We like to warm up too.
[ FURNITURE FACE ] Hello navels.
December 24th
Merry Christmas. May you arrive back in a few days in a more rotund and ruddy cheeked state than you left us in. We can only hope. I'll be away from the website over the next few days but will be able to continue replying to emails, orders and submissions. Or if you just feel like telling us how much you love us, I'll be able to deal with that as well. I leave you with the above image from the masterful BOB LONDON. Slightly vile but incredibly festive. xx
December 22nd
December 19th
December 17th
December 13th
December 9th
It's only MARCIN KULIGOWSKI!! Blimey. It took a few goes to get him onboard but he finally gave in after we stole his socks and threatened to not give them back. Hailing from Poland, along with friend and cover star City Abyss, he draws fire, buildings, diagrams, ornaments, signs, letters, skulls, explosions, icons, girls, boxes, car accidents, patterns, gangsters, monsters, constructions and dead animals. What more comprehensive a list could you need? His illustration (not pictured) accompanied the poem 'Not My Baby' for the second issue. Go gander gangsters.
December 7th
December 5th
December 3rd
November 25th
November 23rd
November 20th
November 17th
November 12th
November 8th
November 4th
November 2nd
We look for poems with originality not carbon copies of poetry classics.
Write honestly and write what you're proud of.
Poems with a focus on rhythm, repetition and pattern are preferred although this definitely doesn't mean obscure free verse is overlooked.
Poems must be your own work, no longer than 25 lines and written to the theme.
There is no minimum or maximum amount of entries per person.
October 30th
October 28th
October 25th
October 21st
October 18th
October 14th
94% of people in the UK live within a mile of a Post Office branch.
October 13th
October 11th
October 8th
October 5th
September 30th
September 28th
September 24th
1st October - 31st October 2009
Concrete Hermit Gallery
5a Club Row, London, E1 6JX
September 20th
September 16th
September 14th
The Roebuck
50 Great Dover street
SE1 4YG
Nearest tube - Borough
Last Thursday of every month - next one is on the 24th September.
8.30pm
September 8th
September 5th
September 2nd
August 24th
August 20th
August 18th
August 12th
August 6th
August 4th
The poem 'Milkman' by Rich Brammer and accompanying illustration by SKIZZOMAT were chosen in the review so go find it and take a look. It's got a ruddy pink cover, what more you could ask for?
August 1st
July 28th
July 21st
July 17th
July 14th
July 10th
July 6th
July 2nd
June 30th
Its reached that time of year when the London Literature Festival breaks out of its pants and shows off its bits to the adoring nation. I would make a weak attempt to explain more but since its already been done by someone who knows better, theres everything you need to know at the -
June 24th
So perhaps its a hop over the authentic fence instead.
June 21st
June 18th
Every year they give six unpublished poets the chance to gain a publishing contract for their debut collection thanks to the Crashaw Prize. And its as likely to be you as anyone else, which seems like a pretty good opportunity if you happen to have a spare 65-70 pages of poems kicking around. So if this has tickled you more than you thought imaginable, head over to the CRASHAW PRIZE PAGE, read the guidelines and do the bad thing. Adioti.
June 15th
June 10th
June 4th
June 1st
May 29th
You can see a plenty number of her beautifully thought out images on the website - SKIZZOMAT.DE. Bonus.
May 26th
So if you have seven minutes to spare of unadulterated concentration, you may want to experience CELLAR GIRLS BY ANDREW MEARS. It could be your bag or it could be someone elses that you accidentally borrowed, tried on for size and then realised it didn't fit but regardless...the bizarre combination of words that don't usually join forces is worth it alone. Fini.
May 22nd
Here's how you can help us to save SALT and all our work with hundreds of authors around the world - Please buy just one book, right now. We don't mind from where, you can buy it from us or from Amazon, your local shop or megastore, online or offline. If you buy just one book now, you'll help to save SALT. Timing is absolutely everything here. We need cash now to stay afloat. If you love literature, help keep it alive. All it takes is just one book sale. Go to our online store and help us keep going."
May 19th
BBC IPLAYER. x
May 16th
The book is available from May 20th via AMAZON and there is also a launch party being held on the 21st May in...London - naturally. Heres the details:
50 Middlesex Street
London E1 7EX
Free entry / All welcome
May 14th
May 11th
May 7th
Badabadabing x
May 4th
Submissions for Issue Two are now open! Hurrah. So no sooner has the ink dried on Issue One, we're starting the whole glorious process again for Issue Two. So if you're interested in your poetry being a part of the next issue..regarde:
We look for poems with originality.
We don't want carbon copies of poetry classics.
Write honestly and write what you're proud of.
Poems with a focus on rhythm, repetition and pattern are preferred although this definitely doesn't mean obscure free verse is overlooked.
Poems must be your own work, no longer than 25 lines and written to the theme.
There is no minimum or maximum amount of entries per person.
May 4th
If you care for more indepth information than what I've been able to pass on to you, here is an article from THE TIMES.
April 29th
Pop to the website for more details - LONDON ZINE SYMPOSIUM 2009.
April 28th
The event has been put together by a new collective of 6 illustrators from North London. The majority of the profits made on the night will fund an exhibition this coming September to promote fresh new blood within the industry, with the money made from the 'Bidder's Bling' being donated to the Pegasus Children's Project.
It all kicks off on Wednesday the 29th of April at DreamBagsJaguarShoes in Shoreditch form 6.30pm onwards. Auctioning of the first lot will commence around 7pm. ITSHAMMERTIME.CO.UK for more.
April 23rd
A final massive thank you to everyone who helped make this first issue possible, everyone thats bought a copy so far and everyone whos given feedback on the whole shebang.
Toodles Popshot x
April 7th
April 6th
April 1ST
Since we're all for this kind of thing, just wanted to direct you over to POMEGRANATE to vigorously regard their seventh issue of the rather splendid poetry ezine. I mentioned them before a couple of months ago and probably will again in a couple of months time. Its for good reason.
March 30th
March 27th