Minimum Security Irving

Last week, Kirsty read at the launch of S.J. Fowler's Minimum Security Prison Dentistry, published on 23rd November by Anything Anymore Anywhere and available to purchase from their website. The event took place at The Horse Hospital in London, and was recorded on video. Here's Kirsty's short set:

Tomorrow's Strike

For the avoidance of doubt, Sidekick fully supports the strike by UK public sector workers on Wednesday 30th November and rejects any notion that it is 'irresponsible' or organised by 'hardliners' (thanks, Tories!)

I'd like to post at length about this issue but unfortunately don't have time right now. Needless to say, we would strike too if Dr F hadn't dissolved our Union. Literally. With some kind of acid.

Leveson Inquiry 28-11-11

Since I'm covering the Leveson Inquiry for the time being, I've decided to appoint myself its unofficial poet-in-residence. The Inquiry is not confidential (or at least I don't think I've seen or been witness to anything confidential), so don't expect any sensational gossip, but I did want to write some pieces in response to the picture that is unfolding.

Also, since I decided this rather late in the day, I will have to backtrack for some of the days I'm missed. I will try to write something for every Monday and Tuesday I have personally covered. Here is today's:

28.11.11
Books

"You were described as 'posh, loved culture and poetry'. You probably do still love culture and poetry. 'Lewd', 'made sexual remarks' and 'creepy'. Then you are described -- you were branded 'a creepy oddball' by ex-pupils."
Mr Jay, questioning Christopher Jefferies

We should have worked it out from all his books.
What normal, law-abiding sort would ever
be caught nose-down, engrossed, on tenterhooks,
in any kind of literary endeavour?
Imagine all the filth and clever-clever
scurrilousness sealed in each plush brick.
We don't go near them - but we get the flavour
from titles like King Leer and Moby Dick.

The Camden Art Redemption Miracle

Kirsty and I are supporting award-winning poet Tim Turnbull at the launch of his new limited edition book, The Camden Art Redemption Miracle (Donut Press). Sidekick favourite Wayne Holloway-Smith will also be doing a shift, and Tim himself will be giving us a special half-hour performance in his trademark Yorkshire brogue.

The launch is tonight at regular poetry hang-out pub The Betsey Trotwood (56 Farringdon Road, EC1R 3BL, nearest tube: Farringdon) from 7.00pm.

Making the new site (part 1)

OK, so this is the first blog post on a new version of the Sidekick Books/Dr Fulminare site. Most of the posts here will be mirrors of what we post over on the Fuselit blog, which will itself be integrated more fully in the Fuselit site. What we'll end up with, hopefully soon, is two complete websites united by similar (but not identical) blog content and shared Twitter/Facebook accounts.

For newcomers, Fuselit is the hand-bound-and-built literary magazine Kirsty and I produce, while Sidekick Books is our small press. Doing both has caused us some 'brand confusion' in the past, with our anthologies being occasionally attributed to 'Fuselit Press' and some people thinking we bind our own books. It doesn't help that Sidekick Books grew out of the bonus booklets we used to make to accompany each Fuselit issue. Hopefully, by early next year we'll have sorted it out so that everything is clear and obvious to the casual internet user without our having to resort to double lives.

Anyway, I'd been making notes on improving on the old Dr F site for so long that it got to the point where it was easier to start afresh. With buoyant idiocy, I predicted it would take me one weekend, with possibly a few evenings afterward for trouble-shooting.

Ha.

It's been, I think, a couple of months of on/off work to get this far (on/off because there are a million other things we're supposed to be doing). During that time, I ran through a few different designs, spent an inordinate amount of time with my head in my hands and changed the art style significantly. This was one of the first banner images I drew up:

I've never been very comfortable with my role as house artist/illustrator for our projects but seeing as any other solution would involve either money or some poor art school graduate being cruelly demoralised by my constantly demanding changes and redrafting, it's me we're stuck with.

I'll say a little more about the process in future posts. This is really just a space filler!