By James Turner and Annice White
As October came to an end, York St John University hosted the Northern Fiction Alliance Roadshow. Here James Turner and Annice White reflect on and share their experiences of the event.
The Northern Fiction Alliance is a collective of small publishing houses based in the North of England. On 24th October, they held a roadshow at York St John, to showcase some of the amazing publishers and their talented writers. The evening included speeches from publishers in attendance and readings from some of their recent publications. The readings were truly inspiring, showcasing the best in contemporary literature, and it was great to be able to pick up the work that had been read that evening. York based Little Apple Bookshop also attended which made it very easy to support the publishers and writers. Annice picked up a copy of Amy Arnold’s Slip of a Fish and S.J. Bradley’s Guest and was very pleased to get them signed. The event also offered time to mingle and talk to the publishers and writers.
James, as a poet, is very aware of the publishing industry, whereas Annice, as a reader, pains to admit she hasn’t given a huge amount of intellectual thought about the publishing industry, or really taken into account who or what publishers want. James spent his time talking to the publishers and trying to get more information about the publishing industry, as well as chatting to the authors about their own writer’s journey. Annice spent most her night at the Little Apple Bookshop stand and fangirling over the authors that spoke.
We met the next day to discuss the event over coffee. The main thrust of our discussion ended up being around the nature of publishing, and what makes something valuable as literature. Is self-publishing as valid as being published by a prestigious London house? If one wants to find new and exciting literature, where should they look? We talked about the new underground presses (which instantly reminded James of Samizdat – although it is nothing like that) that are producing Chapbooks and Zines (Analog Submission Press is Annice’s personal favourite). The meeting ended in a very lively discussion about the value of Instagram poetry and change in the reception of literature.
Annice’s Moment of note from the evening:
‘Narratives are bullshit’, not that fiction is not important but more that it is not always presenting a relatable story. All fiction will speak to someone somehow, but life isn’t as simple and certainly not as linear as narratives would suggest. We are not all on a hero’s quest with a pleasing ending.
The aspect that stood out to us was the importance of supporting independent small publishers. Kevin Duffy from Bluemoose Books gave a very impassioned speech on the subject about the need to challenge the London-centric attitude to publishing, something the independent houses strive to do. It seems that in the publishing world there is hierarchical, if not almost ‘old-boys-club’ like feel to the industry, and it is this that Bluemoose and other independent presses seek to challenge. York is a great city for independent businesses, so be sure to visit Little Apple Bookshop and look out for the indie publications. Also, be sure to check out the Northern Independent Press Collection. Katherine has curated an amazing archive dedicated to independent northern publishers.
Overall the evening had a pleasant and informal feel, and it was great to meet the exciting new publishers and writers. The workshops during the day were a great opportunity to approach writing from a new angle, and really develop senses of voice and place – the workshops given by some of the authors who shared their approaches to writing and style.