Information Scotland The Journal of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland ISSN 1743-5471 Issue contents | Journal contents | About the online edition of the journal February 2006 Volume 4(1)

Publishing

Pamphlet power, poet power

Poetry pamphlets are a thriving area of Scottish publishing. Hazel Cameron describes their revival and how libraries can help promote them.

Poets have published their work in pamphlet form for centuries but the millennium has seen a revival in poetry pamphlets in Scotland. Publishers such as Akros and Mariscat had long produced pamphlets but James Robertson took a new initiative in 1999 by setting up the small press Kettillonia, when he realised how long you had to wait to be published in a magazine and how precarious the magazine scene had become for poets. New technology helped, and poets use their creativity and ingenuity to reach their readers, gaining independence from commerce and subsidy. The poetry pamphlet is now flourishing; some poets are collaborating with other artists to produce pamphlets which could be considered works of art (see pictures). New readers are discovering poetry via independent bookshops, library shops, pamphlet fairs and the internet, which all help poets reach their audience.

As a tentative experiment in 2001, Tessa Ransford set up the Callum Macdonald Memorial Award in memory of her late husband Callum Macdonald, founder of Macdonald Publishers and Printers. The award recognises publishing skill and effort and validates the practice of poetry publication in pamphlet form. It is supported by the Michael Marks Charitable Trust and many individuals and is administered by the National Library of Scotland. The experiment was a success, and it has not only grown in itself, but has encouraged the confidence and development of pamphlet poetry in Scotland. Each year the standard of the poetry and of the pamphlet production has risen, surprising and delighting the judges.

Tessa, founder of the Scottish Poetry Library, also set up the Pamphlet website. The website allows poets and publishers of pamphlets to list and sell their pamphlets on the web. It helps pamphlet poetry to reach a wider audience and many of the buyers are from abroad. It is a good reference area for libraries looking for information on contemporary Scottish poets. The award also produced a video about poetry pamphlet publishing which gives advice on various publishing and printing options (available from the website).

In 2004 the Edinburgh International Book Festival began taking a stand of our pamphlets for sale. In 2005 the sales increased from 80 to 109 with over 30 different poets being represented. This is a surprising achievement, which shows the public enjoy the opportunity to discover and decide for themselves what they want to read in terms of poetry. If libraries have a suitable area, they may like to organise a display of publications from local poets – and perhaps in the process unearth a few more.

In December of each year, with the help of the National Library of Scotland, the organisation holds a pamphlet party and fair in Edinburgh. This gives publishers and poets a chance to display and sell their work. The fair is open to the public, and poets are given a chance to give a short reading. December’s fair had over 30 stalls and a large variety of pamphlets on display with the added bonus of music provided by Mariscat publisher and poet, Hamish Whyte.

In 2005 pamphlet publishers were further encouraged by the launch of Sphinx magazine, a magazine set up to specifically review poetry pamphlets by the small press, Happenstance.

In March we will attend the StAnza International Poetry Festival at St Andrews. This will be the first year that StAnza will focus on the category of pamphlet poetry among its other international attractions. The fair will be held on Sunday 19 March between 12 noon and 5pm in the Parliament Building and all visitors are welcome to browse, buy and ask questions.

Whether wisdom, romance, narrative, politics or humour, there is a poetry pamphlet subject to interest most people.

If libraries or individuals are interested to find out more, they can browse the website or contact Tessa or Hazel directly.

Hazel Cameron is a poet who was shortlisted for the CMMA in 2002 and a member of the Lippy Bissoms poetry performance group based at the AK Bell Library in Perth, t: 01765 689682.

Information Scotland Vol. 4(1) February 2006

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