I can’t believe how time flies, and it really has been such a fantastic first year for Fawn Press! I started this small press because I wanted to be a part of the publishing world and to champion emerging and under-represented poets, and also the pamphlet itself as an art form. I don’t know of any other press that publishes only pamphlets, and I think they are such a vital step in a Poet’s journey.
We have been celebrating our birthday week over on our Instagram with a series of videos from the Poets that we’ve had the absolute privilege of publishing in the last 12 months!
Our first publication: ‘Elements: Natural & The Supernatural’
I launched the press with a call for submissions to create an anthology to bring the poetry community together on a project that would examine the natural, and supernatural, world. I was passionate that this would be a thing of beauty, with hardback options, foil and soft-touch lamination detailing. It was launched at Waterstones Hanley and would go on to be nominated for a Saboteur Award for best poetry anthology 2022. With the help of co-editor Lexia Tomlinson and intern Konnie Colton, this turned out to be a real thing of beauty, and I’m really proud of our first publication.
Fawn Press then went on to work on its first pamphlets, and I had two poets that I knew I wanted to publish. I am especially lucky to have chosen two excellent poets and understanding people, because at the start of 202 I had a massive multiple sclerosis attack which left me in hospital and unable to work for two months. Despite these health setbacks, together, Sallyanne Rock, Nabeela Saghir and I managed to work together on two beautiful pamphlets, which were launched at Birmingham Waterstones and I have put forward for a Michael Marks award for poetry pamphlet of the year. More news on that later in the year!
This summer has been a really exciting few months, with submissions being sent in for our next year of publications. More news on that TBA!
Watch our reel of just some of our best bits over the past year! Thank you for joining us on this journey!