In Poetry London...

 Pleased to report that I have a poem, titled ‘Brambleton Avenue’, in the new issue of Poetry London...

Poetry London submissions

It's interesting to note that Poetry London have closed to submissions for a period. According to the editor, Niall Campbell, there'll be more info when we decide how best to proceed. 

Poetry London, of course, use Submittable, and have been inundated with poems over the last few months, in an experience that's shared by many major journals. The current dynamic feels unsustainable, that's for sure, if we don't want to burn out our editors and embitter our poets.

Rory Waterman on the Poetry London website

Rory Waterman has an excellent piece up today on the Poetry London website. Its premise is as follows:

"Rory Waterman offers a stirring op-ed on the negative effects of superficial do-goodery and inadvertent self-flattery on contemporary poetry and how such tendencies often simplify moral and intellectual complexities to the detriment of the art being produced."

His views will ruffle a few precious feathers, but that's not a bad thing when it's for the greater good of the genre. You can read his article in full here.

Should editors be poets?

One of the most important and prestigious magazines around, Poetry London, are looking for a new editor. Out of curiosity, I had a quick look at their job description and noticed the following requirement...

"An established reputation as a poet, with at least a first collection already published or under contract".

Is it essential for editors to be poets themselves? What do you think?