Plymouth's rich culture of poetry publishing

PLYMOUTH has a proud history as a birthplace for a clutch of important poetry magazines which published some of the best poets in the city, nationally and internationally.

- WILLIAM TELFORD

During the 1990s and early 2000s the emerging poetry scene in Plymouth was dominated by these magazines.

Plymouth poets Steve Spence, Norman Jope and Kenny Knight still have a collection of these publications and Steve stressed that they now have historical importance.

"There was a rich culture of poetry publishing via hard-copy magazines throughout Britain, preceding the takeover by the internet and social media," said Steve.

"This was reminiscent of the explosion of small-press publishing in the 1960s, if on a lesser scale but it was an exciting time to be involved and Plymouth provided more than its share of innovation."

He said four magazines - Shearsman, Memes, Terrible Work and Tremblestone - documented aspects of the international poetry world, as well as picking up on locally based talent.