Andrew Oldham

The London Magazine December 2008 – February 2009

The latest edition of The London Magazine features poetry from Roddy Lumsden, Mahmoud Darwish, Anthony Rowland and Clare Best. TLM also bring to their pages a new column, Poets on Politics and publishes Double Visions: Art and Poetry featuring George Szirtes, Sascha Akhtar, Robert Vas Dias, John Hartley Williams, Annie Freud, Maggie Butcher, Andrew Oldham, Todd Swift and Tim Cumming responding to Howard Hodgkin, Eileen Cooper, Victor Pasmore, Grayson Perry, Lucian Freud, Maggi Hambling, Tracey Emin, Roger Hilton and Sir Terry Frost.

This is a great edition and subscribing to the magazine supports not just another Literature magazine but a cornerstone of English Literature that has been with us for over three centuries.

Tags: Andrew Oldham, Art, Double Visions, Poetry, The London Magazine

Congratulations to Jen Hadfield

The Poetry Book Society is delighted to announce that Jen Hadfield won the 2008 T S Eliot Prize for Poetry.  See Guardian Article. See Tobias Hill on the work of Jen Hadfield.

Judges Andrew Motion (Chair), Lavinia Greenlaw and Tobias Hill chose 10 collections from the 90 new books published in 2008 which were submitted by publishers. The shortlisted poets included Moniza Alvi (Bloodaxe), Peter Bennet (Flambard), Ciaran Carson (Gallery Books), Robert Crawford (Jonathan Cape), Maura Dooley (Bloodaxe), Mark Doty (Jonathan Cape), Jen Hadfield (Bloodaxe), the late Mick Imlah (Faber), Glyn Maxwell (Picador) and Stephen Romer (Carcanet). 

Andrew Motion said of the shortlist: “The ten books on the shortlist are all significant achievements in themselves – richly imagined, formally enterprising, emotionally intelligent and importantly varied. They also bear witness to the vitality of contemporary poetry as a whole, and make the prize an occasion for general congratulation.”

Throughout its 15-year history the Prize has been a much sought-after accolade; now, thanks to the generosity of Mrs Eliot, it is the largest cash award in British poetry. The winner will receive £15,000, increased from £10,000 in 2007. Each of the shortlisted poets will also receive a cheque for £1,000 in recognition of their achievement.

All the shortlisted titles can be ordered online from http://www.poetrybookshoponline.com or by phone from the PBS on 020 7833 9247.

Tags: Andrew Motion, Jen Hadfield, Prize, TS Eliot Prize

New Edition of Incorporating Writing

Andrew has been overseeing the latest issue of Incorporating Writing, guest edited by Tight Lip in Brighton. Andrew is always on the look out for content and you find the writers guidelines on their website. Here is the latest blurb on the issue:

http://www.incorporatingwriting.co.uk
Issue 6 Vol 1: IT’S ALIVE

SPECIAL EDITION
Guest Editor: Tight Lip, Brighton
In the darkest, deepest winter months, things stir and creep between the storms and in the highest tower of Incorporating Writing central, Frankenstein screams, It’s Alive. The faded version of Whale’s original classic film plays on our only source of heat, the television. Why is everything so bad in the world of Incorporating Writing? For months we have been bombarded by media hyperbole about the credit crunch, the economic downturn and Gordon Brown. All are killing the world of books dead! Day after day, blame is pointed at the banks, politicians, the Arts Council, publishers, writers, magazines, promoters, the grand folly that will be the 2012 Olympics and Mr & Mrs Stefani (our neighbours). Is this the end for literature, for books, for Incorporating Writing?

No! Tight Lip come to the pages of Incorporating Writing to prove that Live Literature is well and growing in Brighton, UK (www.tightlip.co.uk). With the help of Tight Lip members we go behind the Live Literature scene and see how the writer China Mieville tackles the day to day work of promoting, writing and how Literature will adapt to the coming changes. We meet up and coming poet, Gary Goodman as he shows us how he writes, and that he too is surviving the downturn. Cathi Unsworth reveals her secret London passion. Meredith Okell yells for us to bring out the dead as she looks at the world of poetry and performance poetry, and reveals a startling truth. Dan McTiernan finds himself coming around to the art of story telling via opening a bakers and Christine Brandel is still confused in the USA with Live Literature. Janet Aspey oversees the world of criticism, in a reviews section spanning the latest offerings from the likes of Ali Smith, Jo Baker and Shena Mackay. We exhibit the work of Sam Collins in Perfect Eye. The end may be here for the arts and the economy but Incorporating Writing still remains all critical and all free at www.incorporatingwriting.co.uk

Incorporating Writing has now set up a brand new Facebook group at: http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5542923935&ref=ts. You can join for free and have another way of keeping in touch, or subscribe today through the site and get free news from Incwriters.

Readers, writers and publishers can contact us a editor@incorporatingwriting.co.uk. We’re always interested in hearing off our readers, got any comments? Got some feedback? Then contact us today. Deadline 1st March 2009.

Help spread the word and forward this news to everyone you know. The next issue is VIOLENCE.

Incorporating Writing (ISSN 1743-0380) is an imprint of Incwriters, back issues are archived at http://www.incwriters.co.uk/magazines.htm ines.htm

Tags: Andrew Oldham, China Mieville, Incorporating Writing, Incwriters, Magazine, Tight Lip

Tracey Emin RA and Andrew

The kind folks at Caroline Wiseman have sent us the image of Andrew’s poem, The Calling of Young Tony, hanging alongside the work of Tracey Emin RA, The Calling of St Anthony. The work was commissioned by The London Magazine, the latest edition of TLM (December 2008 – February 2009) features all the artwork and the poets involved (including Annie Freud, Seamus Heaney, Maggie Butcher, George Szirtes, Harold Pinter, Andrew Oldham and Todd Swift). All the poets responded directly to the artwork, showing the link between the language of poetry and art. Further information on the latest issue of TLM can be found here.

Tags: Andrew Oldham, Art, Caroline Wiseman, Exhibition, Poetry, St Anthony, Tony Blair, Tracey Emin