IMMINENT Issue 7 is folded and creased and being posted to readers.
The very first issue of IMMINENT reflected on the material, including the paper that the zine itself is printed on, as you hold it in your hand. It set the tone for how I have thought about every issue, and with number 7 I'm carrying on exploring thoughts about paper and the link between the conceptual and the tangible.
Thanks to poems by Phil Hall, Deborah Tyler-Bennett, Peter Dent and Mark Goodwin, paper and folding are referenced in different ways. Some of the poems link paper to the natural world and phenomena. I've been playing with folding and origami myself for some time, which I have linked to the gifts of nature and (through the hand-made) the idea of people hand-working with material, bringing one closer to the connection with the material world, which I feel becomes more and more important to sustain. As a result, the first 30 orders of Issue 7 will receive a miniature, hand-folded gift from me.
I've also included a poem by JC Niala that made me think about paper maps, and the relationship between enclosures on the land and colonial map-making. JC has travelled to over 45 countries and lived in 3 continents, gathering stories and performing poetry. Her work Fences is beautifully crafted to consider the cultural differences in thinking about land.
Phil Hall has contributed an extract from his book The Ash Bell, described as a long poem sequence: anthems, letters, journals and aubades; ruminations, cloisters and promises; ogres and custodians.
Mark Goodwin's latest chapbooks are: to 'B' nor as 'tree', published by intergraphia; Of Gone Fox, published by The Hedgehog Poetry Press, and you can read his short essay on poetics and place just published on Briefly Write.
Deborah Tyler-Bennett promotes poetry nights most months at The Needle and Pin in Loughborough, presenting readings by a wide range of poets in a relaxed small venue, which has included me reading from IMMINENT and I hope to do so again.
Peter Dent sends me his work on paper. They arrive in the post, typed and hand-signed, often accompanied by a hand-written letter. Correspondence by Royal Mail is a lovely process when putting together an issue that thinks about paper and the tangible.
As I read the issue page by page, links occur between poems and artworks, and I become aware of the page turning in my hand, and the central fold. I hope you will enjoy the experience too.
You can order IMMINENT Issue 7 from my shop page, and the first 30 orders will receive a hand-folded gift from me. Thank you for your support.
