chatter on publication

This collects most of the comments made on Facebook in the week following publication -apologies to people who have seen these already. facebook really isn't configured to let you drain text out of it, so this has been a bit clunky as an operation.(AD)

Khaled Hakim
November 18
I've just received the bumper anthology 'Arcadian Rustbelt' and notwithstanding reservations about the clumping front in red white & blue, it is otherwise beautifully laid out on luxurious thick cream paper. Andrew Duncan John Goodby and Waterloo Press have done the contributors proud. Only £12 which is a marvellous mystery. — with John Goodby and Andrew Duncan.

Andy Wilson
where can a copy be bought?
John Phillips
Any chance of a shot of the contents page?
John Phillips replied

· 2 replies John Goodby
'Clumping'?

John Goodby
We pitched the price v low to shift it quick & maximize its reach - a beautiful production as said - & here's that contents page again -

Khaled Hakim
'Clumping' is my take for inelegant

hn Goodby replied · 1 reply Andrew Duncan
The Publisher is Waterloo Press and they have a website. Due to ill-founded labour practices, they don't currently have the knowledge to make the book available on the said website, but we are expecting it to be there soon.

Simon Jenner
Andrew Duncan I cheerfully subscribe to all the labour incompetence going. Phil Ruthen who tends the site, is having to attend to family business for a week. As David Hackbridge Johnson knows, I have a Baldrick-like plan to resolve this with thinking if there's more than a few days' delay.

Andrew Duncan
Simon Jenner have you read the book yet?

Simon Jenner
Andrew Duncan it has been my constant study. Discussing with David Hackbridge Johnson who's about to receive a bumper bumped off crop. Have you seen his review of Beautiful Thoughts?

Andrew Duncan
Simon Jenner you should read it. it's really good.

Khaled Hakim
I've seen that all their previous publications are up there for sale but theyre having problems distributing orders coz of illness of key staff member. Perhaps theyre the one who wd have uploaded the book to their purchase section

Simon Jenner
Yes Khaled I did think the cover clumped a bit (and was severely rapped over the knuckles for saying so!) but I realised it's a statement out of Angel Exhaust territory, and its artwork reflects that aesthetic. The most important anthology for years be…because it rescues and colllates. In a real sense it's a great bumper edition retro of the decade previous to AE's second run in the 1990s. That's another reason why it's such an important addenda to that whole epoch; and looks the way it does. Does that make me in Gertrude Stein's words a village explainer? Great if you're a village; if not, not. Yes elsewhere our aesthetic of cream paper and flaps kicked in, though usually the flaps are populated with poets. This time they're ego free. £12 is a magical mystery that passeth understanding but not the pockets of poets. Though the volume itself requires a baby carrier.

John Goodby replied
Khaled Hakim
I did recognize an Angel Exhaust aesthetic in it's Saturday matinee poster lettering. Still surprising! If you are Waterloo Press design related then I do like the cool chic of yr books

Simon Jenner
Khaled Hakim thanks. Yes there's a way I decided 25 years ago with d/w etc and though I don't yet do the physical design (one day!) it's stayed the course.
Sometimes in projects like these when it's not a single author it's good to loosen up, though I had a different approach which simply couldn't be realised when the printers tried it, because our designer wasn't available.
Mainly to echo the silver grey image for an ingenious fade/wrap whilst keeping the image sharp in its parameters. Ppet and designer Phil Ruthen would have come up with something like that but had urgent commitments; and what the printer came up with was too halfway house. That or a dark self colour to set the image off. There was rage at 5am and I perfectly understood!

John Goodby
Simon Jenner 'Saturday matinee' - so the cover's had an impact. Good. Better that than suave silver-grey shades wreathed around some self-effacing unmemorable image. And since the hunt also seems to be on for poets we 'omitted', I'd add that several of…of those we offered to include turned us down. Which is their problem, not our prejudice. I think, particularly at this very early stage, it would be nice if the publisher and the poets in Rustbelt could put their shoulders unreservedly to the wheel of simply publicising it for a while. It's not perfect - the process of putting it together was long and laborious, and not all of the glitches could be eliminated - but it has many excellences and the niggly caveats can come later. Just saying.

Simon Jenner
John Goodby as I said above this is the most important anthology of its time. And the first conversation about that huge 1980s gap. I'm,m taking some radical action re getting Rustbelt out.
If this appears picaresque it's because I'm having a conversa…If this appears picaresque it's because I'm having a conversation with David Hackbridge Johnson about Andrew's Beautiful Thoughts which he's reviewed superbly. And is going to review this. Am sending Rustbelt this afternoon with a cunning plan.
That is that if people purchase Fifteen Exits they get Rustbelt free. I was going to suggest Rustbelt and Exits free but with Phil away this seems best. Postage though will be a net loss. If people want to add Black Russian they can get Petrucci's Waltz too.
I'm learning skills on my 'viewfromthegods,co.uk' so as it's not Waterloo I'm going to be a bit cheeky and promote it there too. And when I can acquire and transfer those skills have lots fun with Waterloo Press UK offers. I'm sorry I'm not technophilic but like my dramatic skills technophilia comes late.
On silver grey oh I don't know. Shearsman get away with it and we'd have done something much more disruptive: but it would have taken a while to make something as striking. I also felt colours letters were an idea.
Have there been voices about what's omitted? Pity. You and I and indeed the introduction know people declined sadly. No as I said above (twice now)?this is the most important anthology of its time and I think also revisits the sadly truncated magnificence of Angel Exhaust which was simply too much for one person to produce.

Khaled Hakim
John Goodby no one's having a go at the book mate, it can stand any reservations around the edges as, on a first dip, the content is superb...I wd say something on that but while it's not orderable I'll wait otherwise people will just champ at the bit

Andrew Duncan
Simon Jenner ‘Rustbelt’ is surrounded by material which could have been in it and wasn't. But, having read the whole thing a couple of weeks ago to check the hard copy proof, I think it is fast and dense. Adding more material would raise the cognitive … 

Simon Jenner
Andrew Duncan very good point. Someone started a conversation about poets left out and that's just not the case.
David Hackbridge Johnson made a very good point about Beautiful Thoughts picking up on what you said: that though your Shearsman volume m… 

Simon Jenner
Ira Lightman has thought of an elegant solution. If people click on Aaronson Life of a Butterfly and stipulate Rustbelt plus Fifteen Exits instead in the instructions, that should prove ideal. I'm packaging more tonight.
I had suggested Fifteen Exits… 

David Hackbridge Johnson
John Goodby Can't wait to dive in!

John Goodby
Khaled Hakim apols - touch of post publication touchiness there mebbe - look forward to reading what you say about the contents -

  Khaled Hakim
John Goodby no one's having a go at the book mate, it can stand any reservations around the edges as, on a first dip, the content is superb...I wd say something on that but while it's not orderable I'll wait otherwise people will just champ at the bit

Simon Jenner
Andrew Duncan very good point. Someone started a conversation about poets left out and that's just not the case.
David Hackbridge Johnson made a very good point about Beautiful Thoughts picking up on what you said: that though your Shearsman volume  might theoretically have continued with other poets, that these are also covered elsewhere (start here, go backwards through your critical volumes) and you have to stop somewhere. Simply for people to assimilate. And that 300 pages in this anthology is the max physical size and that of human assimilation. That is, each entry is mapped and the small bios gives breathing space before the next onslaught. It's stupendous.
400 pages wouldn't be physically possible nor perhaps readable. Not stupendous but stultifying. This is a great maximalist balance. I'd delighted to have a tiny part in it. There is also the school of thought that you might read possibly 1,000 volumes if someone made the coffee and got the groceries.

  Simon Jenner
Ira Lightman has thought of an elegant solution. If people click on Aaronson Life of a Butterfly and stipulate Rustbelt plus Fifteen Exits instead in the instructions, that should prove ideal. I'm packaging more tonight.
I had suggested Fifteen Exits… earlier, though the postage is very low for such a slim book. Of course Rustbelt dwarfs even the sturdy Aaronson, nearly double its length. But this works really well. Thanks Ira.

  David Hackbridge Johnson
John Goodby Can't wait to dive in!

John Goodby
Khaled Hakim apols - touch of post publication touchiness there mebbe - look forward to reading what you say about the contents -

Andrew Duncan
Rustbelt is for the generation born roughly 1950-64, and the business (even the “Alt business”) didn’t work for them. So we may never have come across them, if they didn’t socialise in the usual circuits or towns. Shops didn’t stock this kind of material.
if we disturb the water and unfamiliar poets rise to the surface, that's really good.
The research goes on even if the book has been printed. Out of 28 poets, I think there are four I have never met face to face. Social contact is really important but some people write poetry without also socialising -with other Alternative poets, anyway.

Andrew Duncan
that shade is not red but Illyrian Fuchsia No. 2, and it was very hard to source
• 19h

** new strand
Khaled Hakim 18 November
In response to a request here is the contents page of 'Arcadian Rustbelt'... apparently soon to be available from Waterloo Press website

. Andrew Duncan
thanks, Khaled. Wow, who are all these people?

Aidan Semmens
Looks like a must-have. And a party I'd definitely want an invitation to 

Khaled Hakim
I have been cogitating what eligible poets from this alternative sphere might be controversially missing?

Andrew Duncan
I heard that there was an anthology called "Custodial Ragwort" (published by K-Tel) which scarfs up all the top talent we left out and sweeps the floor with us. Like a response record.

Khaled Hakim
Andrew Duncan I am told controversial exclusions is yr stock in trade

Andrew Duncan
“The famous singers sing and bow away”. Chuck was right about that. You get 28 poets onto the stage, you’ve got to get them all off somehow, and make way for the next one. Gracefully. This is easier with 28 poets than, say, 35. It wouldn’t be better with more poets.

Khaled Hakim
Andrew Duncan I think 28 is a harmonious number somehow. And no, I wasn't advocating for anyone, just being nosey

• Simon Jenner
Phil Ruthen who puts books on the website is away much of this week. If this goes in however David Hackbridge Johnson knows I have a cunning plan. Quite apart from that one bookshelf is sagging. Health and safety.

(new strand) 14 November. Andrew Duncan
Comrades! Arcadian Rustbelt, the anthology of the second generation of British Alternative poets (emerging 1980-94) has now been printed. Johnny B. Goode and I have several boxes each. It will be available for purchase from the Waterloo Press website shortly. Goodby and I are exhausted yet excited. The map is about to change! At last we can stop arguing about the inclusion list. It is the past and it will never stabilise.

John Goodby, Alan Baker and 23 others 12 comments Simon Smith
A magnificent achievement Andrew Duncan and John Goodby

Simon Jenner
Simon Smith Good to see your terrific Fifteen Exits in this company. It amplifies their conversation, re-energises their order. And incidentally places you as youngest of those included.

Simon Smith
Simon Jenner your faith over the years in this book has been incredibly moving, and personally for me a huge pivot in keeping me going with writing poetry. For my books you were there first, the pioneer. Thank you so much

Simon Jenner
Simon Smith Thanks - that's very kind of you, though it was Andrew above all who said: "You must publish Simon's Fifteen Exits" when I asked which volume next. "If just one volume, it must be Fifteen Exits." And because of David Rees' artwork and Tristan Green's design, one of the most sheerly beautiful. With Martin Booth's immortal quote on the back: "after reading these, it completely fucked up my day's novel writing." Does anyone need further prompting?

• Simon Jenner
Even for Andrew and John, this is groundreaking and rewrites the silent rules with lemon juice. Despite the heft, a ludicrous snip at £12. I have to enter this plea. When weight training, do not try balancing more than two at a time. It can seriously derange your muscles. 300 pages. The outer limits of Onedigital's binding (extremely firm by the way). I know. I've tried. If you're not at the York launch or nearby, please order from Waterloo Press UK. Simon Smith's classic Fifteen Exits, two of which are included, is still available. With the first 15 orders for Arcadian Rustbelt I'll enclose a free copy of this great volume.
John Goodby
Simon Jenner Thanks for this Simon. The best way to achieve perfect poetic muscle tone is, if course, to buy *two* copies, so that they can be deployed like dumb- (eloquent-) bells, one in each hand, Arcadia and Rustbelt in alternate motion, to whichever metre takes your fancy.  

Andrew Duncan
be careful not to handle the rust belt with damp skin, or your chassis may start to rust

Ira Lightman
Simon Jenner I would be keen for this double act, but can't see where to buy the anthology on the site?

Simon Jenner
Ira Lightman sorry Ira we're still putting it up. If this is delayed you could buy the Smith/add a couple of quid..Or find anything at £12, add an instruction for Rustbelt and I'd send the two volumes that way. Will try sorting. Ira Lightman
Simon Jenner or PayPal you personally?

Ira Lightman
Simon Jenner I've done as you suggested, and put in a placeholder order for Life As A Butterfly, to pay you £12 + p&p

Simon Jenner
Ira Lightman thanks it's a really elegant solution choosing the Aaronson and I've mentioned it elsewhere just now. I've packed you already. Everyone else please follow suit! •

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