Spine : Volume One: Issue Four

Welcome

Brand new work from:

Allen Fisher

Allen Fisher has been involved in performance writing since 1962. A poet, painter, publisher, editor and art historian, he has produced one hundred and forty chapbooks and books of poetry, graphics and art documentation. He was co-editor and publisher of Aloes Books and he currently edits and publishes Spanner. He lives in Hereford and is Head of Contemporary Arts at Manchester Metropolitan University in Crewe. His books and chapbooks include: The Apocalyptic Sonnets (1978), Poetry for Schools (1980), Brixton Fractals (1985, republished 1999), Dispossession & Cure (1994), Civic Crime (1994), Now's the time (1995), Fish Jet (1997), Place(collected set 2005) Gravity(2004), Entanglement(2004), Singularity Stereo(2006), Leans(2007), Birds (2009). 

Voice recordings appear on

http://www.stemrecordings.com/fisher.html

http://www.writing.upenn.edu/pennsound/x/Fisher.php

http://www.archiveofthenow.com/

Peter Manson

Peter Manson lives in Glasgow.  His most recent books are "Adjunct: an Undigest" (Barque Press 2009) "Between Cup and Lip" (Miami University Press, Ohio 2008), "For the Good of Liars" (Barque Press, London 2006), "Before and After Mallarme" (Survivors' Press, Glasgow 2005) and "Adjunct: an Undigest" (Edinburgh Review 2005).  His website, "Freebase Accordion", is at www.petermanson.com. 

Sound and video can be found on www.archiveofthenow.comand www.youtube.com

Zodwa Nyoni

Zodwa Nyoni is a 20 year old Zimbabwean- born poet based in Leeds, UK. She writes from a youth perspective living in the Diaspora; through narrative poetry that is connected to a home of the past and the present. She started writing in 2005 with Leeds Young Authors (LYA), a community based performance poetry group. Since joining the group her credits include; competing at the Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam in NYC, USA, 2006 representing the UK; auditioning for HBO`s Def poetry Jam USA, attending the Arvon Hurst writers residential, led by Dorethea Smartt as part of an opportunity to be one of the youngest poets from the north of Britain to attend the Calabash Literature Festival 2006 in Jamaica. She won a one-year poets residency at BBC radio Leeds` “New Black Programme”(Nov 06-Nov07) and was guest website editor for Decibel Young Leaders, Arts Council, England (Nov 07-Nov 08).

She has been published in the Suitcase Book of Love Poems (2008),Canadian magazine;“The Warehouse” 1st Issue (December 2008) and 2nd issue (February/March 2009), Aesthetica Magazine’s Creative Works Annual 2009,and in SableLit Magazine Issue 13 “Word From Africa” (Spring/Summer 09) .She has performed with national and Internationally renowned writers such as Jackie Kay, Courttia Newland and E.G Bailey. Her theatrical credits include; David Hamilton`s productions, “Heart Beat Riddim Chant” (July 2007) where she played the African-American abolitionist Harriet Tubman and “DubWise Lik” (July 09), both at the West Yorkshire Playhouse. She is currently the Youth Creative Director for LYA`s, advanced writing group; Meta-phonetics.

Zachary Chartkoff

Having spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the earthquake-devastated city of Gyumri (formerly Lenninkan) in northern Armenia Zachary Jean Chartkoff is working with the graphic artist Diane T. Sands to create a graphic novel depicting a story from the 1915 Armenian Genocide.  What he finds compelling about the sonnet form is that "like jazz, it can take a simple form and blow it apart from the inside out ... creating something that is both familiar and new at the same time."  He lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with his wife and three cats.

Joseph Buckley

Joseph Buckley is a writer, rapper, poet, producer, musician and visual artist. Born in Chester and raised in Leeds. The son of a published poet and playwright and grandson of a celebrated self-help writer, Joseph Buckley grew up in rich literary environs, writing for as long as he has been physically able.

Motivated by a belief in one’s social responsibility and the inherent contradiction and paradox of the human condition, Josephs work is inspired by the function and construction of society with themes ranging from bittersweet love to the legitimacy of god in modern society.

Joseph wrote and directed ‘SPEAK OUT’ a theatre piece exploring minority relations with parliament and government, which was showcased in Leeds’ Carriage Works in March of 2009

He was also nominated ‘Best UK Performer’ in the Annual Farrago Zoo Awards, the longest running UK performance poetry awards.

Joseph is currently writing his first novel, preparing a chapbook for publication and recording an album of music with his Hip-Hop group; Sula-Joules.

He has been a member of Leeds Young Authors since 2006, travelling to America twice to represent his city and country in the Brave New Voices International Poetry Slam and is a founding member of the writers group, Meta-Phonetics.

Alison Faulds

Alison Faulds is a poet and illustrator. She lives on a high and windy hill with the Badgers and the Hares and the Owls. She likes it there, she has time to think and to daydream, pluck forgotten stuff from that other place and make the shape of it for You to see. Her work has been published in numerous journals and magazines, but she can't remember their names, sorry, she is rubbish at that side of things, she is also rubbish at varnishing floors, especially if people keep walking on them before they are dry.

Artwork:

D2THE

Photographs by Danny Marsh