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Pomegranate


As the wind howls outside and something that’s trying to be snow descends from the skies, what better time is there to spend a while browsing an exciting new poetry ezine? Pomegranate is something I stumbled across recently: a plucky endeavour from a bunch of Foyles Young Poets prize-winners that aims to give a voice and literary platform to young writers everywhere. So far, two issues have been published, containing poetry from the likes of Forward Prize-shortlisted Salt poet Luke Kennard and Mimesis editor James Midgley, as well as refreshing work by some really promising and startlingly young poets including Emily Tesh, Martha Sprackland and Richard O’Brien.

Highlights from issue 1 include O’Brien’s ‘On Returning to the Morrison’s Produce Department’ and Tesh’s ‘Interview with a Goddess’, and James Midgley’s ‘Seducing the Leopard Gecko’ makes for the wonderfully descriptive and impressive stand-out piece from issue 2. Well, at least in my humble opinion anyway: head over there yourself to check out what’s on offer. The link’s here.

And if you like what you find, there’s more in store: issue 3’s out in March, and the next issue of longstanding print-based poetry magazine Magma, edited by Roddy Lumsden, promises to be one of the most exciting in recent years, featuring work by some of the Pomegranate team, other up and coming poets, interviews, and a sequence from yours truly. It too will be available in March, with news and updates on the Magma website. In the meantime, and before I post on it, I’ll be working on a few reviews, as well as looking forward to the results of various competitions, including the National: I’ll be holding out for a slightly more adventurous winner this year, especially with Penelope Shuttle on the judging panel.