Magma 40

Out later this month with guest editor Roddy Lumsden

Launch at The Troubadour, Earl's Court London, March 3rd at 8pm with Martina Evans, Matthew Caley and David Briggs and twenty or so contributors from the issue

Contents:

- Six Young Poets Interview Each Other

- Nick Laird: MacNeice poem and interview with Miriam Gamble

- What Happens When Poets Live Together

- Showcase Poet: David Briggs

- Reviews of Frances Leviston, Brian Turner and Zoe Brigley / Kei Miller, Sasha Dugdale and Catherine Smith / CD Wright and John Ashbery

Poems by:

Charlotte Runcie / AB Jackson / Judy Brown / Emily Berry / Amy Key / Greta Stoddart / James Goodman / Vidyan Ravinthiran / Matthew Caley / Christine McNeill / Ros Barber / Michael McKimm / Tony Williams / Mark Waldron / Kathryn Simmonds / Claire Crowther / Dai George / Kathleen Ossip / Chris McCabe / Ben Wilkinson / Judith Lal / Olivia Cole / Mark Ayton / Jonathan Morton / Fiona Curran / Heather Phillipson / Sarah Wardle / Joe Dunthorne / Rob A MacKenzie / Gary Bills / Sally Read / Angela Kirby / James Midgley / Neetha Kunaratnam / Kate Potts / Liane Strauss / Martha Sprackland / Richard O'Brien / Gale Burns / Susan Grindley / Valerie Josephs / Emily Tesh / Siobhán Campbell / Kathryn Maris / Patrick Brandon / Marianne Burton / Eloise Stonborough / Niamh Corcoran / Linda Black / Dan Hitchens / Martina Evans / Ahren Warner / Norbert Hirschhorn

Details of launch will follow...

Yeah, I did mean to sort some poems out to send you for that, but I just didn't have any kicking around at the time which were worth sending. All very provisional and not quite finished.

Sounds like being a good launch night.

I would have thought the Passions and Obsessions theme might have tempted you, Jane.

It did!

But, as I said, I didn't have anything suitable that was in a publishable state. And I'm long past the stage of sending out any old bollocks in the hope of getting into some magazine just because I happen to know the guest editor.

Well, maybe not long past. But long enough not to be tempted into potentially embarrassing myself. ;)

Yes, I can't wait for this launch!

I hope you all have a good time. I will raise a glass to you all at some point in the evening.

Jane, you are quite right. There's no point sending out stuff you know isn't ready. Either it will never be ready and you can throw it away, or it will get much better, when you can be relieved you didn't send it earlier.

I've been trying to adopt similar restraint in the hope that my only embarrassments will be poems I thought were ready at the time and look like crap only a few years later. There's no way round that.

The following poets will be taking part in this event:

Guest spots: Matthew Caley, Martina Evans, David Briggs

plus one or two poems from:

Charlotte Runcie / Judy Brown / Emily Berry / Amy Key / Vidyan Ravinthiran / Michael McKimm / Mark Waldron / Claire Crowther / Olivia Cole / Jonathan Morton / Joe Dunthorne / Angela Kirby / Kate Potts / Liane Strauss / Martha Sprackland / Gale Burns / Susan Grindley / Valerie Josephs / Siobhán Campbell / Patrick Brandon / Marianne Burton / Linda Black / Dan Hitchens / Ahren Warner / Norbert Hirschhorn

The Troubadour, Earl's Court London, March 3rd at 8pm

I can't wait! Just got my copy in the post today and it's really fantastic. I love the young poet interviews, but I found the "poetry couples" feature really interesting too, maybe mainly because I'm in one! We're not quite the Brownings, though..