The January meeting was most enjoyable, and there will be a new one on Thursday March 18th, at 7.00 p.m. (London time).
Six or seven Snakeskin poets will be reading from their work, so that we can all put faces and voices to the names we see on our screens.
I have sent an email to my list of attendees from the previous meeting. The list may not be complete, though, and maybe others would like to attend. If you have not received an email, and would like to join in, please send a note to simmersgeorge@yahoo.co.uk.
A big crowd gathered yesterday evening to join in the celebration (which also acted as Snakeskin’s twenty-fifth birthday party). The editor was especially glad to meet Snakeskin contributors whose work he had enjoyed for years, but whose faces had until now been unknown to him.
The editor also thoroughly enjoyed reading his poems. His inner ham actor hasn’t had enough outings lately, and this was fun.
The congregation’s comments were very positive, and there was considerable support for future events, where other Snakeskin poets will read their work.
Something else that was mooted was a Snakeskin anthology, showcasing the best of our twenty-five years. It’ll be hard work putting this together, but with luck it will hit the bookstores before next Christmas.
Keep an eye on this blog for further details of these two projects.
In this month’s Snakeskin we announce a special event. As part of the celebrations of our twenty-fifth anniversary, we are holding a Zooming online launch for the editor’s new collection, ‘ Old and Bookish’. This will be on Thursday January 14th at 7 p.m. (London time).
Over its long history, we’ve never had a get-together for Snakeskin poets and supporters before, so this is a long-overdue opportunity for us all to put faces to names, as well as a chance to celebrate. If you are interested in joining in, please drop an email to simmersgeorge@yahoo.co.uk, and your name will be added to the Zoom invitation list.
September Snakeskin is now online, containing not only a bumper crop of new poems, but also news of our next special issue.
November Snakeskin will guest-edited by Jessie Randall, and will contain poems devoted to the subject of Cryptozoology (which is, for the uninitiated, the study of beasts that are mythical or legendary.
Here is Jessie’s call for submissions:
CALL FOR CRYPTOZOOLOGY POEMS The November, 2020 issue of Snakeskin will be a theme issue on cryptids such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, the Jersey Devil, and others. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cryptids for a fairly comprehensive list of cryptids. Send up to five poems to jessyrandall@yahoo.com. Put your poems in the body of the email, please – no attachments. Simultaneous submissions are fine. The deadline is October 1, and you can expect a response by October 15.
Here is G.F. Watts’s 1885 painting of a Minotaur, staring from his prison and considering the inequalities of life and destiny. Jessie is hoping to receive poems as rich and moving as this painting. (And maybe some clever and witty ones as well.)
Dry your tears. Snakeskin is back online. The firm that looks after the site tells me that there were ‘issues’ with the server. These now seem to be resolved.
Make sure you take a look at the SHORT POEMS issue, which will arrive on July 1st. There’s some brilliant stuff in it.
The Snakeskin webpage has mysteriously disappeared. I’m trying to get in touch with the firm who provides the site, but they can be elusive over weekends.
I’ve checked, and yes, I have paid my bill, so that’s not the problem this time.
I’m just hoping all will be well again by Wednesday, when the July issue is set to go online. It’s a short poems special issue, and is shaping up very nicely. Make sure you look out for it.
The editorial inbox for November Snakeskin has been the fullest in the magazine’s history. There was a cornucopia of short verse to choose from.
This made the task of editing the hardest it’s ever been. From the hundreds of poems submitted, there were a very large number with merit, a solid phalanx of the worthy. How to choose?
I had started with the idea that I would present an issue with just twenty poems. That idea went by the board. A lot more squeezed in, and there are still poems that I regret not using.
Were the poems I chose ‘the best’? That’s always a bit subjective. They were the ones that struck a chord with me. Many because of what they were saying, some because of their use of words or their use of form. Some because they were funny.
Many thanks to everyone who sent us poems. I’ll try to write a note to all who offered poems, but it’s going to take a while.
Meanwhile – enjoy the issue.
(By the way, the next two Snakeskins will be standard issues. Any length, any subject, any style. Send your poems to the usual address.)
