Independent poetry magazine: ecopoetry and politics; human and non-human; beauty and daring. Issue 8 - Edge - newly published
All updates now on Instagram x
These are poems that live on the brink or bear the rifts of human and elemental unease. We skate on thin ice, 'peer over the edge,' visit remote islands, outcrops and shorelines - and try to hold on to 'juts of earth.'
Issue eight - Edge - available now. 💚❤️
UN experts and B’tselem reported this week on the widespread abuse, torture and sexual assault including rape amid atrocious inhuman treatment of Palestinians held in Israeli custody: Around 9,500 Palestinians, including hundreds of children, are currently imprisoned.
The longest sentence handed down to a violent racist rioter this week is shorter than the sentences imposed on entirely peaceful environmental protesters last month.
Labour must repeal the Tory laws that treat peaceful protest more severely than violent disorder and assault.
So ... aiming to rebuild the Finished Creatures online community via other platforms.
Still on Instagram: @ finishedcreaturespoetry - or keep checking the website: https://t.co/8mEOikPBCx for updates. Any thoughts re alternative, appropriate platforms much appreciated. 💚❤️
But the owner and profiteer of this platform has started to overtly interfere with and destabilise UK politics. Right now - for this magazine - it no longer feels appropriate to lean on his platform to communicate or launch a new issue. 💚❤️
So - this is both tricky and sad. Twitter was a platform that helped launch this small poetry magazine. the community of poets and fellow editors found here has always been positive, helpful and encouraging. A huge, genuine thank you to all followers. 💚❤️
ALL DONATIONS MADE TODAY DOUBLED FOR GAZA!
It is impossible to comprehend the desperate situation for people trapped in Gaza: living through bombardment, life threatening injuries, near starvation and a lack of desperately needed medical care.
https://t.co/Hjk5z7bF8s
I just donated to 'Books for Spellow Lane' to help repair our library and replenish books for the kids. Every bit helps! Please donate, like, comment, and share to spread the word. 📚❤ #SupportSpellow https://t.co/uVUXuAaFO2
“I have sometimes had to work for more than 60 hours continuously, and my break is consumed by trying to secure the basic needs of my family. We are extremely exhausted and burnt out.”
- Dr Mohammed Mohsen, ICU doctor at Al-Aqsa Hospital
'Beautiful interweaving of nature and human concerns'
Huge congratulations to @RobinHoughton, whose poem 'I am looking through a lattice of magnolia' is the IS&T Pick of the Month for June. To revisit this fine poem and see more voters' comments go to https://t.co/AgUYMP0Wzr
Life-changing improvements. But we must keep up the pressure.
✈️The Rwanda plan: scrapped
⛴️Bibby barge: set to close
📎People left in limbo by the Illegal Migration Act, will have their asylum claims processed
👪Afghan families reunited
Get involved:
https://t.co/xkUvLGJ8yj
⚠️ Nearly 7,000 people are estimated to be killed or injured in #Gaza by the Israeli military during UK Parliament recess. That’s just 33 days.
@DavidLammy the UK must stop ALL arms sales now. Gaza can't wait.
Demand Action:
✍️ https://t.co/ekFBpX8c7N
Here is Ismail’s tribute to himself and the dying humanity.
“Let me tell you, my friend, that I no longer know the taste of sleep. The bodies of children and the screams of the injured and their blood-soaked images never leave my sight. The cries of mothers and the wailing of men who are missing their loved ones never fade from my hearing.
I can no longer bear the sound of children’s voices from beneath the rubble, nor can I forget the energy and power that reverberates at every moment, turning into a nightmare. It is no longer easy for me to stand before the rows of coffins, which are locked and extended, or to see the dead people more than the living who are fighting death beneath their homes, not finding a way out to safety and survival.
I am tired, my friend…”
Ismail Al-Ghoul
Al Jazeera Correspondent in Gaza
‘Be open to feedback and improving, but at the same time believe in what you’ve created. Knowing when to ignore advice is perhaps more important than knowing when to take it.’ - @LisaDMKelly
Read the full interview on the Forward Prizes website:
https://t.co/KcDMhSK5Pq
Submissions for PBLJ11 are NOW OPEN!
Send us up to five poems in a single Word document using our online submission form. You can find all the details on our website at https://t.co/olYD26v9gf.
Your work will also be considered for digital publication. Deadline: 31/08/24.
🔵Propel Issue 12, edited by Tishani Doshi,
is out TOMORROW🔵
We hope, in Tishani's words, you find they capture 'something about the absurdity of being alive, how poetry can be an intervention & disruption; subversive, funny & tender all at once.'
With thanks to contributors: