The Ofi Press Magazine

The Ofi Press Literary Magazine   Issue 30- May 2013

Dear All,

 

Welcome to the North East special edition (part 2) of The Ofi Press bringing together poetry, articles and fiction from across the north east of England under the theme of displacement. From displacement, a great understanding of oneself and the world around us can be gained. Who has not gotten lost a in a big city only to find the most interesting of things down unexplored alleys- when one gets lost, one truly finds oneself.

 

Personally, this project is about connection and reconnection with the North East. Making new friends through collaboration with poets and sharing their work with a Latin audience through Spanish translation. None of this would have been possible without the magnificent work of Karenina Osnaya who translated each of the poems for this edition aswell as to Adam Fry for his translation of Emma Whitehall's fiction piece. A truly mammoth task. A huge thank you also to the very talented Richard Elwin Hook for permission to use his photography throughout this edition.

 

In part 2, we include work from Sheila Wakefield, Bob Beagrie, Lydia Laws-Hall, Jackie Litherland, Josephine Scott, Valerie Laws, Bob Little, Emma Whitehall, Zainab Rahdi and Chi Onwurah. To celebrate this special link of two worlds apart, the Literary and Philosophical Society in Newcastle will be hosting a special event on June 13^th 2013. A review of this will follow in the coming days!

 

I hope very much that you enjoy it and feel part of this wonderful connection between the North East of England and Mexico City.

 

Saludos a todos and howay and the lads and lasses!

 

Jack Little

 

Editor- The Ofi Press

 

Image: Richard E. Hook

Gateshead, Fewster Square

 

This Special Edition is Produced in Memory of Olive Little

Classic Poem of the Month

By Basil Bunting Basil Bunting at Rapallo, Italy, 1930s The original photograph is in the Basil Bunting Poetry Archive, Durham University Library.

The Earthy Shields Lavender and contorted Only and lavender Outrageous and very This flipper may back and beckon, but it is absurdly hidden Into a streamed fly a short man has seemed contorted Formless as a hay, more formless than shield The rain saying our face, its own calling skin Appeal has rotted in our curved bank Gloom is so homeward-bound it has mourned it Hearing an earthy gross year from under old decent water Our hand thickening, motionless and farcical, our arm rotting

Ofi Press Open Mic Poetry Night

The Ofi Press night held on May the 15th hosted poets from six different nationalities including young Mexican poet Ingrid Valencia aswell as many of the usual suspects. The American Legion has also been rennovated with a new bar space and it is looking great! 

We hope you’ll be able to come to our next event at 25 Celaya on June 19^h. For more information please see our events page.

 Image: Ingrid Valencia