Tag Archives: Editor

INKSPILL 2018 Guest Writer Kate Garrett Editor Interview

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Kate Garrett is a poet and an editor. In this interview we will discover more about her editorial work.


1) What makes your magazine /journals different from others on the market?

I don’t know, I didn’t set them up to really be anything in relation to other publications, they are just what I wanted them to be – Picaroon is for “rogue” poems, work that might be too odd or outspoken for other markets. Three Drops from a Cauldron is for folkore/myth poems but for everyone regardless of geography/nationality, age, race, sexuality, gender identity, disability, etc – I love myth and lore from all perspectives. Bonnie’s Crew was originally set up to raise money and awareness for a heart charity, but it’s now a place people come to read gentler poems about being human, or poems that will give them a moment of calm.

 

2) What’s your mission at Three Drops from a Cauldron?

Actually, apart from indulging my own love of reading work based in myths, lore, magic, superstition, legend, and son on – another side of our mission is to show that myth/folklore/fairy tale/legend-themed writing has more scope than people sometimes think. I’ve seen people say ‘folklore poems’ as if the very idea leaves a bad taste in their mouths, that ‘political’ poems are somehow superior… and while I appreciate a good political poem, and agree they are very important, I’ve published poems that are both of those things – mythical and political. In addition to this, many of our poems are personal to the author, the stories have a lot more to say than just ‘here is some magic happening’ or a direct retelling of an old tale. These things – myth, folklore, legend – are ingrained in all of us and fanciful stories are not always told just for the sake of it. There is often more under the surface.

 

3) How has expanding your team changed things?

Well, it’s definitely made the seasonal specials a lot more interesting and fun! I took on our readers and editorial staff for seasonal specials (Samhain, Midwinter, Beltane) specifically, and to help out with our early themed print anthologies. While I try to keep a wide range of readers in mind when selecting work, it’s definitely easier to do that with seven other people going over the submissions. Sadly, we won’t be doing any more themed print anthologies, and our seasonal specials will be ending with Midwinter 2018 (submissions open 1 November, and it will be published in December), but the team have said they will still be around if I need them. They’ve also expanded our audience by sharing Three Drops with quite different groups of people – their own social media friends and followers – which is wonderful.

 

4) Do you have a theme for each issue?

No, for the regular web journal issues, there is no set theme. Themes might arise in each issue of my three web journals – Three Drops from a Cauldron, Picaroon Poetry, Bonnie’s Crew – but it’s not intentional.

 

5) How should writers contact you?

By email please. Three Drops: threedropspoetry@gmail.com

Picaroon Poetry: picaroonpoetry@gmail.com

Bonnie’s Crew: bonnies.crew.poems@gmail.com

 

6) What’s your day like as an editor?

It varies wildly – because I have five kids, currently four journals (as well as people’s pamphlets in print) to publish, and health issues. One day I might not do any editing at all – I might do some writing instead, I might have to have a full housework day, or a day resting, or there might be appointments for the kids. On the days I do edit, the weekday mornings always start with coffee, then giving Saoirse and Bonnie breakfast after the husband and three teenage sons have left the house, exciting mumsy things like that… After the girls have settled, if it’s a Saturday/Sunday/Monday I am probably responding to submissions. If it’s any other day I might be formatting a book or a journal issue, designing a cover, scheduling posts on the webzine format mags, proofreading. It’s organised chaos.

 

7) How do you edit? / What are you looking for?

Most of all, I’m looking for work that moves me. I’m not concerned with how much the writer has been published, what degrees they have, what competitions they’ve won – I don’t even read bios until I’ve read the submission itself. A writer with no publication credits could send a poem or flash fiction or creative nonfiction that blows my mind, and maybe a writer who has won every possible contest and has a PhD could send their least impressive work – I will accept the pieces that make me feel something regardless of who wrote them.

 

8) What’s your final advice to writers?

Probably the same advice most people give – keep writing, keep READING (I cannot stress how important it is to read if you’re a writer; apart from improving your craft, I don’t understand why anyone would want to be published if they don’t like books…), and don’t take rejection too hard. Rejections seem to upset people more than anything, it seems, and honestly they are just part of the whole writing game. Everyone gets them. Being a bit of a melancholy person, I actually expect them! Take a step back, look for any positives you can take from it (I always look at my work again, and sometimes – though not always – in the harsh glare of a rejection things appear that might need more work), know that selections for journals, anthologies, and pamphlets/collections/novels/everything else are made based on a number of factors, and try again.


Check in later to find out more about Bonnie’s Crew when we chat to Kate this evening.

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INKSPILL An Afternoon With Guest Writer Stephen Daniels

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INKSPILL SUN

Our second Guest Writer and Editor is Stephen Daniels.

Stephen Daniels is the editor of Amaryllis Poetry  and the Secretary for Poetry Swindon. His poetry has been published in various magazines and websites, including: The Interpreter’s House, Obsessed With Pipework, Ink Sweat & Tears, And Other Poems, The Lake, Clear Poetry, Picaroon Poetry, The Fat Damsel, Three Drops from a Cauldron, Eunoia Review, Algebra of Owls, The Open Mouse, I am not a silent poet and Nutshells and Nuggets, Good Dadhood, The Poetry Shed, Obsessed With Pipework, The Curly Mind and Down in the Dirt.

Stephen’s poetry appeared in several anthologies including Richard Jefferies Writers – ’78 Anthology, Domestic Cherry, Ink Sweat & Tears ’12 Days of Christmas’ 2016 and my poem ‘Light’ was runner-up in the Candlestick Press micropoem competition 2015.

His debut pamphlet ‘Tell Mistakes I Love Them‘ was published by V. Press this year.

You can find out more at www.stephenkirkdaniels.com and @stephendaniels

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INKSPILL Guest Writer – Introducing Robert Harper

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DUE TO UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES we regret to inform you that there will be no INKSPILL exclusive from Rob Harper today. We have decided to include the introductory post anyway so you can spend some time reading his poetry and checking out his websites and of course, Bare Fiction magazine.


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Robert Harper is an actor, poet, producer and director of theatre and television. Since the early 90’s, Robert has performed in hundreds of varied productions on radio, screen and stage throughout the UK, most notably as a member of the BBC Radio Drama company.

He is Founding Editor of Bare Fiction Magazine, which started the same year I did (2013) and Artistic Director of Bare Fiction Theatre Company which is dedicated to the production and presentation of new work.

Robert holds a BA in Theatre Studies from RWCMD, has just completed his MA in Creative Writing and runs Shrewsbury Poetry Stanza.

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Robert Harper – Poet

As part of his MA he recently collaborated with composer Zakiya Leeming on a new piece for four voices based on his poem Hush, along with a solo piece developed especially for the Rosamond Prize.

He regularly reads at Poetry Events and read alongside David Morley and Gregory Leadbetter at the Wenlock Poetry Festival 2014, where his poetry also appeared on the Wenlock Festival Poetry Trail.

His work has featured in The Interpreter’s House, Prole, Acumen, Royal Philharmonic Society and for National Children’s Heart Week 2014. He was Highly Commended in the Poetry Book Society Student Poetry Competition 2014 and performed at ‘An Evening with Carol Ann Duffy and Friends’.

Robert’s poetry can be found here http://www.robert-harper.co.uk/poet/