Little poetry magazines had a profound impact on literature in the late twentieth century as a conduit for the avant-garde during a period when the mainstream British literary press was largely controlled by just a handful of traditionalists who abhorred experimentalism. As new exciting forms of verse and literature developed on both sides of the Atlantic it was these periodicals which fomented what became known as the ‘British Poetry Revival’, little magazines attracting a whole new readership to experimental verse. This rise of poetry magazines and small presses from the late-1950s was assisted by the new availability of cheaper printing technologies (offset lithograph, Mimeograph and early photocopiers). By the 1960s dozens of independent publishers and hundreds of poetry journals appeared around the UK – particularly in what we might call ‘industrial England’ - the Midlands and the North.
This symposium combines reflections from those involved in the little poetry magazine scene of the 1960s and 70s (Tina Morris, Jim Burns, Jim Pennington) with some of the leading writers about the small presses (Sophie Seita, Ross Hair, Doug Field) in a relaxed exploration of the idiom. The event begins with an exciting opportunity to see rare poetry magazines from The John Rylands Library collection with archivist Jessica Smith.
Event schedule - am: John Rylands Library, 150 Deansgate
10.00 Introduction – Doug Field and Bruce Wilkinson
10.20 Archive Encounter – Jessica Smith
11.00 Bruce Interviews Tina Morris
11.45 Jim Burns
12.30 Lunch
Lecture Theatre Ellen Wilkinson
1.45 Jim Pennington
2.30 Sophie Seita
3.15 Interval
3.30 Ross Hair
10.00 Introduction – Doug Field and Bruce Wilkinson
Senior Lecturer in 20th Century American Literature at the University of Manchester, Dr Field is a regular contributor to the Times Literary Supplement, has written extensively about Jeff Nuttall and My Own Mag publication, and he co-edited the re-issue of Bomb Culture (Strange Attractor, 2018).
Bruce Wilkinson produced Hidden Culture, Forgotten History (Penniless Press, 2017) about little poetry magazines and their countercultural impact and he is currently further developing his research in that area.
10.20 Archive Encounter – Jessica Smith
Jess is the archivist for several extensive poetry and countercultural collections at The John Rylands Library including those of Jeff Nuttall, Jim Burns, Dom Sylvester Huedard, Dave Cunliffe and the Carcanet Press. This will be a rare opportunity to take a close-up look at original magazines with a discussion about their production.
11.00 Bruce Interviews Tina Morris
Poet and the co-editor of the BB Books small press and Poetmeat magazine in the 1960s Tina Morris played a major role in bringing avant-garde literature to a wider audience through both publishing and readings. Tina used the press to produce radical environmental and animal rights material alongside activism and she is now an author of several books.
11.45 Jim Burns
Editor of Move and Palantir magazines, the poet Jim Burns was one of the first to recognise and write about the wider importance of little poetry magazines with a regular column in Tribune and articles in the Guardian, New Society and several small press publications.
12.30 Lunch
Lecture Theatre Ellen Wilkinson
1.45 Jim Pennington
Poetry magazine editor, small press operator, collector and aficionado Jim Pennington probably knows more about the little magazine scene than anyone else in the UK and, what’s more, he is happy to share this knowledge with you.
2.30 Sophie Seita
Sophie Seita’s Provisional Avant-Gardes: Little Magazine Communities from Dada to Digital (Stamford University Press, 2019) is one of the most exciting recent books about the scene, bringing the study and archiving of small press publications right up-to-date. Poet and playwright, Sophie Seita joins us (via Skype) from the US to share her thoughts on the scene.
3.15 Interval
3.30 Ross Hair
Senior Lecturer in American Studies at the University of East Anglia Ross Hair produced the fantastic Avant-Folk: Small Press Poetry Networks from 1950 to the Present (Liverpool University Press, 2016) alongside monographs and articles on verse and ‘the intersections between literature, music, and visual art’.
4.15 Conclusion
Attendance is free but booking is required: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-little-magazine-symposium-tickets-90954394041?ref=estw
