Home - The Journal

'...plenty of different styles of poetry in each issue. The result is that, whilst The Journal will never have that sense of comforting familiarity that some 'zine have developed, it will always stretch your boundaries.' The Supplement #73

'...an international magazine in the tradition of Poesie Europe, Ecuatorial, and Labrys. It publishes poems in English, in particular by English-language poets in exile, translations into English alongside the originals, interviews with poets, and appraisals of current poetry scenes...' Wolfgang Görtschacher

'A plainly elegant layout, making the most of its size to incorporate sequences and longer poems, articles and plenty of reviews .... The contents are global ... all saying what has to be said, in ways and words you wish you'd imagined. Shining intelligence, to brighten and inspire serious poetry lovers.' Orbis

'Few publications deliver consistently good issues — The Journal is among them. Filled with well-written poems from some of the best contemporary poets I've ever read, The Journal is the definitive showpiece of the small press. Each issue also contains thorough book and journal reviews composed by writers whose love of literature is evident.' Hyacinthe L. Raven Via Dolorosa Press (USA)

'...interesting and experimental while avoiding the obscure and unnecessarily difficult. Add to the excellent selection of poetry, some interesting and insightful reviews and The Journal is a must for anyone who loves poetry and is not afraid of a bit of experimentation and the new insights that this can bring.' Juliet Wilson

current issue

While Rodney Wood's poem in exotic pose graces the front cover of #56 The Journal the reviewing team of Emma Lee, Chrissy Banks, Andy Taylor, myself and now Grant Tabard do their very best to say something regards collections and chapbooks by David Annwn / Melanie Branton / Prudence Bussey-Chamberlain / David Calcutt / Wayne Clements / Martin Connolly / Carol DeVaughan / Neil Elder / Geraldine Green / Pascale Gouverneur / Dylan Harris / Marie Lightman / Antony Mair / Nancy Mattson / Jessica Mookherjee / Robert Sheppard / Ruth Stacey / Scott Thurston / Mark Totterdell / Rhys Trimble / Gerry Wells / & Mick Yates


Poetry being the The Journal’s raison d’être #56 also contains original work by Graham Allison / Rafael Garcia de Armas / Mike Bedford / James Bell / Laura Chalar / A C Clarke / Paul Éluard / Matthew Friday / Neil K. Henderson / Andy Hickmott / Christopher Hopkins / David Lawrence / Emma Lee / Julie Maclean / Thomas McColl / Beth McDonough / Michael Newman / Alicia Preza / Mark Rutter / Pamela Scott / Fiona Sinclair / Martin Stannard / Mark Steed / Andrew Taylor / Alfred Todd / Oda Waag / Anthony Watts / Rodney Wood / Alession Zanelli & John Zedolik Jnr


Time to take out/renew the subscription?

to subscribe to The Journal an annual subscription (3 issues) is £13.00


and within the UK a single copy, current issue, is £4.50

If by snailmail all cheques in UK currency please and made payable to 'Sam Smith'.

38 Pwllcarn Terrace

Blaengarw

Bridgend

South Wales

CF32 8AS

UK

The Journal receives no public funds, depends entirely on sales and subscriptions.

{To check out previous issues of The Journal go to the Poetry Library http://www.poetrymagazines.org.uk/magazine/index.asp?id=90 Or to receive a free sample copy of The Journal (a previous issue) please send a self-addressed A4 envelope along with sufficient stamps to cover postage up to 250grams. UK only}


to submit

editorial policy is '...to try to publish those poems — from wheresoever they may come — written with thought to what the poem is saying and to how it is being said. Also welcomed are poems that can travel, that can cross boundaries, that do not assume in their readers a shared knowledge nor a shared set of beliefs. And it will be a rare day when I take a poem about being a poet or about the writing of poems. Also, because my aim is to keep The Journal secular, any poem containing religious terminology will not be considered for publication....'

* poems in English please, or translations into English (about 6 at a time)

* also welcome are interviews with poets, reviews, appreciations or appraisals of current poetry scenes

* if, within UK, a reply is desired, enclose SAE (email submissions only as part of email text, not as an attached file.)

* payment will be one complimentary copy to each author

* copyright will remain with author

* from outside UK enclose 2xIRCs, or submit by email (email submissions only as part of email text, not as an attached file.)

* But before submitting work from outside the UK please be aware of the following - In 2012 the Royal Mail failed to deliver #36 The Journal to overseas subscribers and contributors for more than two months after posting, and this despite my having had Post Office counter staff weigh and price every envelope containing a copy of #36. This failure caused not only disappointment, but also some bad feeling. The Journal is a labour of love, and I don't need to even feel accused of bad faith. So from #38 on I will no longer send contributor's copies abroad via the Royal Mail, nor accept any subscriptions from outside the UK. I will, however, send to those who still wish to contribute from outside the UK a pdf file of the relevant issue as an email attachment. And I will of course endeavour to meet all outstanding obligations, but please don't blame me if the Royal Mail fails again to deliver.

original plus, having found a good short run printer in Imprint Digital, is once again able to consider the publication of perfect bound full collections as well as poetry chapbooks. Consideration of either usually follows from publication in The Journal.

email - asamsmith@hotmail.com

Rodney Wood's front cover poem for #56



Eric Satie – The Exquisite Keyboard


“Music expanded in new directions as Europe’s mid-14th century society collapsed in the face of the plague. Composers who survived the monstrosity came out of it interested in exploring new secular musical forms.” www.wqxr.org/story/weird-classical-history-black-death-music-parties/



consider light / furniture / the zeitgeist / rhinestones / mongrel art

I sing of days / my suit of leaves / consider light / furniture / the zeitgeist

I sing of days / my suit of leaves / rhinestones / mongrel art


with a yellow scarf / umbrella / & the smoke of hades / the feet of Cinderella

that turd Duchamp thinks of me / with a yellow scarf / umbrella

that turd Duchamp thinks of me / & the smoke of hades / the feet of Cinderella


composed with a certain brio / a lyric painted by Picasso

my work is embryonic / unsayable / chilled / composed with certain brio

my work is embryonic / unsayable / chilled / a lyric painted by Picasso


never going to be loved or adored / like an exquisite keyboard

a xylophone of bones / a poor vagrant / never going to be loved or adored

a xylophone of bones / a poor vagrant / like an exquisite keyboard