flipped eye news

Book Review: A Publicist's Response

noreply@blogger.com (news update) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 12:55:00 +0000

Read this thought-provoking note from our publicists:

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=18468172849

Niki Aguirre interviewed on 'Guide to Good Books'

noreply@blogger.com (news update) — Thu, 29 May 2008 09:44:00 +0000

Niki Aguirre has been interviewed by Malaysian site Guide to Good Books as one of the authors longlisted for the Frank O'Connor Short Story Prize. Read the article at this link:
http://goodbooksguide.blogspot.com/2008/05/on-couch-with-niki-aguirre.html

flipped eye launches series of events under 7FEST

noreply@blogger.com (news update) — Wed, 21 May 2008 07:36:00 +0000

flipped eye publishing has launched a series of events under the banner 7fest to mark its seventh anniversary year. The first of the events - an all day series of readings, performances, discussions and book signings - will take place at the Poetry Cafe in Covent Garden. More details can be found on the events page, but the timings for the event are as follows:

12.00-12.40: NEW FICTION
13.00-13.40: REDIRECTION
14.00-14.40: WRITING OBSESSIONS
15.00-15.40: QUESTION THE EDITORS
16.00 - BOOK SIGNING
17.30-18.25: FORTHCOMING POETRY
19.00-19.50: NEW POETRY
20.00 - BOOK SIGNING
20.30-21.10: GENERATIONS
21.20-22.50: FICTION UNLEASHED

WHILE THE EVENT IS FREE, WE ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO DONATE TOWARDS THE DISASTER RELIEF EFFORTS IN BURMA THROUGH DEC (http://www.dec.org.uk/) OR CHINA THROUGH THE RED CROSS (http://www.redcross.org.uk/donatesection.asp?id=77029)

29 Ways to Drown reviewed in The Sun

noreply@blogger.com (news update) — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:43:00 +0000

Niki Aguirre's debut 29 Ways to Drown which was recently longlisted for the Frank O'Connor Short Story Prize, has just been reviewed in The Sun newspaper of May 9, 2008. The full review is reproduced below:

This debut novel is a collection of short stories which is perfect to dip in and out of at your leisure. Each tale takes us to a different country, spanning London to America. Along the way we meet a beautiful woman trapped in a marriage because her husband is so determined that money is the only thing of importance, a man who is at his happiest in his shed writing a story he knows he will never finish and a woman who is terrified of the rain after a traumatic experience during her childhood. Aguirre has an amazing imagination and each story is individual and thought-provoking. This collection of tales is perfect bedtime fodder. – Natasha Harding, The Sun

The book has also been made available on The Sun's online bookshop. To see Niki's next events, please click on the events tab on the top right of the news page.

Become a Fan on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/6qxe3v

Videos of Jacob Sam-La Rose reading

noreply@blogger.com (news update) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:40:00 +0000

on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twZE5XTGSDU (Gravity)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE2EkvupFew (Never + extra poem)

Work from flipped eye poets to appear in stage show

noreply@blogger.com (news update) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:40:00 +0000

Poems from Truth Thomas (author of Party of Black) and avery r. young (whose poems appear in A Storm Between Fingers) have been incorporated into a stage show, which will appear at Harlem's National Black Theatre from March 19-22, 2008. We congratulate them and pray for movies next :) Details below:

March, 19 2008 at Fingernails Across the Chalkboard @ National Black Theatre
2031-33 National Black Theatre Way, Harlem, New York 10035
Cost : $10

This ground-breaking anthology dealing with HIV & AIDS in the African American community has been adapted for the stage and will appear at Harlem's own National Black Theater from March 19-22. Each show takes place at 7:30 p.m. The theatre is located at 2031-33 National Black Theatre Way, Fifth Avenue between 126th & 127th Streets. Poems by Tara Betts, Alan King, avery r. young, Evie Shockley, Lamont B. Steptoe, Melanie Henderson, Ebony Golden, Fred Joiner, Dwayne Betts, Myronn Hardy, Duriel Harris, Tony Medina, Truth Thomas, Arisa White and others will be a part of this production with Kraven Seneca: The Company. Tickets are $10.00. For reservations and tickets call 718-960-6087.

Dance the Guns poet, Lisa Suhair Majaj featured on IMEU website

noreply@blogger.com (news update) — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 07:04:00 +0000

Text: Widely-published Palestinian-American poet and scholar Lisa Suhair Majaj was captivated by poetry at a young age. "I wrote poems for the school magazine as early as second grade," she says. "I remember the excitement of discovering that words could convey both visual images and feelings, and that they could take on substance on the page."

Born in Iowa in 1960, Majaj grew up in Jordan...

Read the rest of the article | Buy and Read the book

PBS feature - again!

noreply@blogger.com (news update) — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 23:08:00 +0000

We are pleased to announce that Denise Saul's White Narcissi has been chosen as the PBS featured pamphlet for Winter 2007. This is the second PBS selection for the groundbreaking mouthmark series, which had its first with Jacob Sam-La Rose's Communion. More news and press release soon...

flipped eye at the Brooklyn Book Festival - 17.09.07

noreply@blogger.com (news update) — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 01:20:00 +0000

flipped eye publishing staged a series of guerrilla readings at the Brooklyn Book Festival in New York City and ended up headlining the article covering the event in the New York Metro today. Local poet Ainsley Burrows, author of Black Angels with Sky Blue Feathers, and the forthcoming The Wolf Who Cried Boy, was featured in the only photograph of the event in the daily free newspaper. Also at the festival reading were Jennifer Kabat, t. tara turk and Mohammed Naseehu Ali from the fiction anthology x-24: unclassified and Niki Aguirre, who also read from x-24: unclassified, who was there to promote her forthcoming book, 29 Ways to Drown. DC poet Truth Thomas, author of Party of Black also stunned passersby with excerpts from his collection-in-progress. Other flipped eye authors who were not present but made an impression through sales at the fair were Charlotte Ansell, Jessica Horn, Jacob Sam-La Rose, Niall O'Sullivan and Agnes Meadows.

Link to online article: http://ny.metro.us/metro/local/article/Brooklyns_book_bash/10024.html

flipped eye in the news - 06.07.07

noreply@blogger.com (news update) — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 10:15:00 +0000

Launch of Storm Between Fingers: Bookseller

Inua Ellams reading at Generation TXT: http://www.poetcasting.co.uk/?p=25

Inua Ellams at Latitude

Niall O'Sullivan at Latitude

Roger Robinson in Malaysia

News from flipped eye publishing - 05.07.2007

noreply@blogger.com (news update) — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 09:46:00 +0000

flipped eye publishing celebrates its sixth year in 2007 and we are proud to announce that since being shortlisted for the IPG (Independent Publishers Guild) Diversity Award in 2006, we have begun to take on fiction and have already released one outstanding anthology x-24: unclassified (co-edited by Whitbread Prize winner Tash Aw and Nii Ayikwei Parkes). However, we have not deserted our poetry roots and in addition to the release of A Storm Between Fingers, an anthology by Malika's Kitchen (due to be released officially on July 13 2007), we have titles forthcoming from writers such as Ainsley Burrows, Denise Saul, Malika Booker, L.K. Robinson and Niall O'Sullivan this year. And, as always, we have some great FREE readings, a CASHBACK offer and goodies for you (bottom of this message).

WEBSITE UPDATES:
--------------------------------
We have updated the sites for the mouthmark series (www.flippedeye.net/mouthmark) and the waterways imprint (specifically the events page - http://www.waterways-publishing.com/events.html), to provide links to our authors' myspace pages, provide instant updates through writer blogs as well as give you direct access to our news, awards and initiatives. We hope that these changes will aid our constant effort to link the reading public as intimately as possible to the writer's world. So, visit, leave a comment, ask a poet a question and have some fun!

EVENTS:
--------------
JULY 9: London Lit Plus Festival: A Storm Between at the Barbican Library
TIME: 6.30pm / ENTRY: FREE (drinks provided)
VENUE: Barbican Library, Barbican Centre, London, EC2Y 8DS
MAP: Google Map

The Barbican Library hosts a reading by members in the international writing collective, Malika's Kitchen to celebrate the launch of A Storm Between Fingers, a new anthology of their poetry. Readers will include the co-founders of the collective, Malika Booker, Roger Robinson and Jacob Sam-La Rose, as well as a selection of writers from the London chapter of Malika's Kitchen.

"Malika's Kitchen is a literary movement whose impact on British poetry will be felt for a long time to come. These are writers committed to their craft, committed to expanding notions of Britishness through an engagement with the realities of British society and with the many strands that have come to shape it." – Kwame Dawes, Professor of English, University of South Carolina

TITLE: A Storm Between Fingers // ISBN: 1905233132
AVAILABLE: In stores at Foyles, online at Amazon, Borders, WHSmith, and Waterstones

There will be signed copies of the anthology available to buy!

All enquiries to books@flippedeye.net.

----//

JULY 25: Launch Reading - x-24: unclassified
TIME: 6.30pm / ENTRY: FREE (drinks provided)
VENUE: Barbican Library, Barbican Centre, London, EC2Y 8DS
MAP: Google Map

To celebrate the release of our new, international short story anthology, x-24: unclassified, a selection of writers from the book will read at this exclusive event supported by the Barbican Library. In attendance will be the editors Tash Aw and Nii Ayikwei Parkes, who will speak briefly about the joys and challenges of putting together an anthology that includes work by writers from Ecuador, Nigeria, Peru, and the United States (to name a few). Considering that the editors themselves grew up in Malaysia and Ghana respectively, this promises to be a truly international experience.

Reading on the night will be: Gaylene Gould, Clare Wigfall, Niki Aguirre and Claire Sharland

Join us for a fantastic evening.

"This is a rare anthology that is as much a celebration of new literary talent as it is of the range and internationalism of contemporary English literature." - Hisham Matar

TITLE: X-24: Unclassified // ISBN: 095415701X
AVAILABLE: In stores at Borders (under Aw), online at Amazon, Foyles, WHSmith, and Waterstones

There will be signed copies of the anthology available at the reading!

All enquiries to books@flippedeye.net.

SALES:
------------
Amazon.co.uk -
A Storm Between Fingers - 20% OFF
Dance the Guns to Silence: 100 Poems for Ken Saro-Wiwa - 20% OFF

flippedeye.net -
Great New £2 CASHBACK offer: Over the summer, we celebrate our first foray into fiction with a £2 cashback offer for all purchases of two books or more from our site that include a copy of X-24: unclassified. More details at http://www.flippedeye.net/shop/sales/06_07.html

GOODIES:
----------------
We have a sublime poetry screensaver at the mouthmark site. Just visit the mouthmark site at http://www.flippedeye.net/mouthmark/ and click on the free stuff link to download it. As your computer sleeps, the screensaver flips through poetry by Jacob Sam-La Rose, Truth Thomas, Nick Makoha, Peter Kahn, Inua Ellams and Jessica Horn. Don't miss out. (And watch out for more screensavers from the flipped eye family)

THAT'S ALL FOR NOW. Please join our mailing list at http://www.flippedeye.net/maillist.html and we'll continue to keep you informed and give you the best offers available in literature.

Great New £2 CASHBACK offer

noreply@blogger.com (news update) — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 19:06:00 +0000

Over the summer, we celebrate our first foray into fiction with a £2 cashback offer for all purchases of two books or more from our site that include a copy of X-24: unclassified. More details at this link: NEW OFFERS »»

Thank you for your continued support.

x-24: unclassified on Borders shelves

noreply@blogger.com (news update) — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 12:38:00 +0000

x-24: unclassified
Our first fiction anthology under our recently acquired lubin & kleyner imprint is currently on the shelves at Borders Oxford Road and Borders Charing Cross. More stores are being added but please order the book at your local library or bookstore to help us increase distribution quicker. The anthology was edited by our senior Editor, N. A. Parkes and Whitbread Prize winner Tash Aw and there will be a reading at the Barbican Library in late July to showcase the collection.

Buy now: Amazon | Inpress

Three flipped eye authors feature in National Gallery Podcast

noreply@blogger.com (news update) — Mon, 07 May 2007 23:36:00 +0000

Three authors from flipped eye publishing's list: Niall O'Sullivan & Roger Robinson (waterways) and Jacob Sam-La Rose (mouthmark), have work featured in the National Gallery's May podcast. To hear the podcast and read some of the bonus poems (including Niall O'Sullivan's) online, visit: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/podcast/default.htm

Books by the authors:
Niall O'Sullivan - you're not singing anymore
Roger Robinson - Suitcase
Jacob Sam-La Rose - Communion

FEP

February 17, 2007: Roger Robinson on Excess Baggage

noreply@blogger.com (news update) — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 20:11:00 +0000

Our fantastic Trinidadian poet guests on John McCarthy's Excess Baggage talking about carnivals. Listen online at the link below:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/excessbaggage/rams/excessbaggage_current.ram

lubin & kleyner site goes live

noreply@blogger.com (news update) — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 10:38:00 +0000

A promo version of the lubin and kleyner website has just gone live in anticipation of the release of X-24: unclassified - the new fiction anthology edited by Tash Aw and Nii Ayikwei Parkes, that includes work by Sefi Atta, Naomi Alderman, Daniel Alarcon and Peter Hobbs. Check out the new site at: www.flippedeye.net/lubinandkleyner/

hot new releases - a trend with mouthmark

noreply@blogger.com (news update) — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 10:19:00 +0000

Nothing makes us happier than to see that the twisted democracy of amazon.com always repays our faith in our books. Every single one of mouthmark's releases have featured in the Hot New Releases section of amazon at some point or other -- the most impressive being Truth Thomas's Party of Black and Jessica Horn's Speaking in Tongues. Why? Because they made the list in the US -- that is a whole other level of performance; you need to have 5 times as many orders in the US to make the same list... Reasons to be happy as we face a challenging new year when our successes will prove burdensome as we will have to carry more stock and thus tie up more of the money we don't have. So, it's back to what we do best - GUERRILLA marketing and promotion. Join us underground - oh, and keep your fingers crossed for us in the week of March 3 when the winner of the IPG Diversity Award will be announced.

In the meantime, look out for our new fiction title under the L&K imprint, X-24: unclassified edited by Tash Aw and Nii Ayikwei Parkes.

flipped eye publishing press office

January 19, 2007: flipped eye shortlisted for IPG Award

noreply@blogger.com (news update) — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 19:24:00 +0000

flipped eye publishing limited was shortlisted for a Diversity Award by the Independent Publishers Guild yesterday. The nomination was in recognition of the work flipped eye has done with the groundbreaking mouthmark poetry series, which was conceived in 2005 in response to the perceived dearth of confidence amongst poets who begin their careers in performance, that their work would be taken seriously by publishers and editors.

The pamphlets in the series were conceived to be between 36-44 pages, requiring, on average, less than 24 poems for publication. This makes them essentially a stepping stone towards full publication, giving the poets experience of rigorous editing and helping translate the authority and voice that works so effectively on stage onto the page. The series is published in a distinctive brown paper design with black illustrations to mark its unconventional approach.

So far, the authors in the series have won wide acclaim, including a Poetry Book Society choice award, and selection for the British Council's encompassCulture initiative. There has also been considerable press interest, notably a mention in the Independent on Sunday. The selectors for the IPG award said: “Flipped Eye is clearly committed to its niche, and it publishes very well.”

See the shortlist
Visit the imprint page (free poetry screensaver available)
Join the flipped eye mailing list

October 23: launch of mouthmark series at Barbican Library - Press Release

noreply@blogger.com (news update) — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 03:03:00 +0000

For Immediate Release

October 2006

Groundbreaking Pamphlet imprint to be launched at Barbican Library

After a year of development, flipped eye publishing limited launches the mouthmark pamphlet series – its new imprint for nurturing emerging talents in poetry towards a full collection – at the Barbican Library. The launch will feature the six pamphlets that have been released by the imprint so far, as well as readings from authors whose pamphlets are forthcoming under the imprint.

The mouthmark series approach is to let poets bring all their quirks and influences – from hip hop to art, basketball to rock – to the page and then spend time in the editing process helping each poet hone their unique voice. Editor of the series, Nii Ayikwei Parkes, says, “when we say it’s literary pointillism on a funked out canvas, we’re not just talking; it’s a philosophy we live by.” The approach has paid off, with author Jacob Sam-La Rose’s debut pamphlet, Communion, winning the PBS (Poetry Book Society) Choice for Autumn 2006. Communion is notable for a thrilling basketball suite of poems at the centre of the collection; Jacob’s eulogy to youthful days spent on the courts of South London.

With the official launch approaching, Arts Council England, which has supported the imprint since the third pamphlet in the series, is happy with the results. “We congratulate mouthmark. Arts Council England is proud to support mouthmark press who have proved that they are dedicated to excellent new poetry.”

The launch will be held at the Barbican Library on Monday October 23, 2006 at 6.30pm. It is a free event and drinks will be provided. The Barbican Library is at: Barbican Centre Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS

Notes to Editors

mouthmark was founded in 2005 by Ghanaian writer and former Food Technologist Nii Ayikwei Parkes to serve as a vehicle to nurture emerging poets towards the publication of a full collection of poems.
The six pamphlets featured at the launch (in series order are): The Lost Collection of an Invisible Man by Nick Makoha, 13 Fairy Negro Tales by Inua Ellams (over 1200 copies sold), Communion by Jacob Sam-La Rose, Handmade Fire by Malika’s Poetry Kitchen, Party of Black by Truth Thomas, and Speaking in Tongues by Jessica Horn.
Communion, by Jacob Sam-La Rose, the third in the mouthmark series won the PBS Pamphlet Choice award, barely a year after the imprint was started.
So far, including the collective published as part of Malika’s Poetry Kitchen, the mouthmark initiative has resulted in publication for nineteen (19) poets who can trace their origins in ten (10) different countries from Canada to Uganda.

Please direct any enquiries as follows:

Press & Publicity:

Nii A. Parkes
nii.parkes [at] flippedeye.net

Events:

Sally Strong
admin [at] flippedeye.net

New mouthmark book 'Party of Black' is staff pick

noreply@blogger.com (news update) — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 07:30:00 +0000

The mouthmark series' fifth book and first US author release, Party of Black, has been listed as a staff pick in Busboyy & Poets - a leading bookshop in the author, Truth Thomas', hometown Washington DC. Read the review here >>

Dance the Guns to Silence available at Frankfurt Bookfair & Others

noreply@blogger.com (news update) — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 00:11:00 +0000

Dance the Guns for Silence: 100 poem for Ken Saro-Wiwa will be on display and available for order at the Frankfurt Bookfair 4 - 8 October 2006
It will be available at the White Lotus Bookshop ( HALL/STALL NO 6.0 D943).
Yuyutsu RD Sharma, an internationally renowned Nepalese poet will be at the stand.

There will also be copies for sale and on order at the following bookfairs

African Studies Association (ASA)
Westin St. Francis Hotel
Union Square
335 Powell Street
San Francisco, CA 94102 â€" 1875
Tel: 415-397-7000 Fax: 415-744-0124
November 16-19 2006
(At the Sable LitMag stand)

Guadalajara Bookfair in Mexico,

November 25 through December 3 2006
(at the Guadalajara PEN stand)

Associated Writers Programme Bookfair in Atlanta Feb 28- Mar 3 2007
Associated Writer Program (AWP)
Hilton Atlanta
255 Courtland St. N.E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
(404) 659-2000
February 28^th - March 3, 2007
The Bookfair operating hours will be 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM, Thursday through Saturday.
(At the Sable LitMag stand)

mouthmark credited in Independent on Sunday article

noreply@blogger.com (news update) — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 15:30:00 +0000

flipped eye publishing's mouthmark imprint has been mentioned in an article in the Independent on Sunday, which examines the exclusion of ethnic minorities from mainstream poetry publishing. Jacob Sam-La Rose's new chapbook 'Communion' was also mentioned. See the full article at: http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/books/features/article1218972.ece

August 06: Gravity by Jacob Sam-La Rose on ReadySteadyBook.com

noreply@blogger.com (news update) — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 01:34:00 +0000

The poem Gravity by Jacob Sam-La Rose was poem of the week on leading UK literary blog ReadySteadyBook.com during the week ending August 7, 2006. To see what it looked like click here >>

mouthmark author Inua Ellams listed in Amazon top 50

noreply@blogger.com (news update) — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 01:27:00 +0000

mouthmark author Inua Ellams was listed in Amazon top 50 for contemporary poetry. Ranked at # 37 on the back of impressive sales of his debut chapbook he was in the company of icons such as Maya Angelou and E.E. Cummings. See site >>

Jacob Sam-La Rose’s Communion wins PBS Pamphlet Choice

noreply@blogger.com (news update) — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 14:40:00 +0000

Jacob Sam-La Rose has won the Poetry Book Society (PBS) Pamphlet Choice for Summer 2006 for his debut chapbook, Communion. The recognition, voted for every quarter by a specialist panel is given alongside awards for full collections, translations, and a Special Commendation for outstanding work that is not eligible for other categories. PBS selections go back to the 1950s, and previous winners include Simon Armitage, Carol Ann Duffy, Seamus Heaney, Anna Robinson, Roddy Lumsden, Daljit Nagra, Frances Leviston, Paul Muldoon, Sylvia Plath, and Derek Walcott. Communion will be featured in the Autumn 2006 PBS Bulletin. The PBS Choice award is a major coup for Jacob's publishers, mouthmark (an imprint of flipped eye publishing), who were given support funding by the Arts Council just three months before the award to continue the pamphlet series.

Jacob Sam-La Rose studied drama, performing arts, and dance before becoming a writer, and has since gained an international status for performance and teaching, appearing at literature and arts festivals including The Word: London Festival of Literature, The Portobello Festival and as a 'distinguished attendee' at the 2005 Gwendolyn Brooks Writers' Conference in Chicago. The former poet in residence for BBC broadcast show London Live, Jacob placed second in the London Poetry Society's Poetry Slam in 1999 and has had his poems played on a Gilles Peterson Worldwide Poetry Special (BBC Radio 1).

mouthmark was founded in 2005 by writer Nii Ayikwei Parkes to serve as a vehicle to nurture emerging poets towards the publication of a full collection of poems. Communion, by Jacob Sam-La Rose, is third in the mouthmark series. Other titles are: The Lost Collection of an Invisible Man by Nick Makoha, 13 Fairy Negro Tales by Inua Ellams and Handmade Fire by Malika's Poetry Kitchen. The series will be launched officially in the fourth quarter of 2006.

Please direct any enquiries as follows:

Press & Publicity:
Nii A. Parkes
nii.parkes [at] flippedeye.net

Events:
Sally Strong
admin [at] flippedeye.net

Orders:
James Foley
books [at] flippedeye.net

PBS Enquiries:
Christopher Simons
christopher [at] poetrybooks.co.uk

EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK:

Gravity by Jacob Sam-La Rose

When we were young, we worshipped stars.

Our symbols of faith were ticks and stripes
endorsed by gleaming long-limbed gods
frozen/framed in the act of impossible flight,
plastered on our walls. For a time we tried
to follow, find the staircase, learn the trick,
to rise, to carve out our own piece of sky
with a butter-smooth arc of an arm
and a Spalding ball glued to the fingertips.
We thought we knew. Sooner or later,
for each of us, gravity came calling
to shackle our ankles and dreams.

But, for a time, we were free.