Newsletter #51: Happy New Year

Hello everyone,

It's still January, just about! My first newsletter of 2019 comes a bit later than planned because I had a break-up before Christmas, which slowed me down while at the same time giving me a very clear incentive to get up and make and sell some bloody books.

I started this year a lot sadder than I'd expected, but I'm still really excited about everything that's coming up, with the Emma Press and beyond. There are beautiful books in the publication schedule, all-night dances in my diary, wedding invitations on my fridge and so many visits with friends, family and authors to look forward to. 2019 was always going to be a big year for the Emma Press, and now it's a big one for me too.

Here are two nice things: last weekend I was featured in the Observer, in an article about young women in poetry, and this weekend it's the London launch party of Kings and Queens, our children's poetry anthology – you can find the details here.

In this newsletter I'm going to tell you about our January titles, which have all arrived in my flat this week. But first, the mandatory notice about support:

New this month: Bicki-Books batch #1

For the past few years, the BIKIBUKS have been taking Latvia by storm. Masterminded by Rūta Briede (author of Queen of Seagulls and The Dog Who Found Sorrow, both available in our webshop), they are a 101 little postcard-sized picture books, each featuring a classic Latvian children's poem.

Rūta came up with the idea for the BIKIBUKS because she wanted to read the classic poems of her childhood to her young daughter and was finding it hard to source the books they'd originally been published in. She teaches at the Art Academy of Latvia and is the art director at liels un mazs, a children's publisher, so she was perfectly placed to commission some of Latvia's leading and emerging illustrators to help her create the series.

And now, these gorgeous tiny books are available in English too! We've selected 6 to start with (with plans to do another 3 sets of 6), and they've been translated by Žanete Vēvere Pasqualini, Uldis Balodis and Kate Wakeling. They are suitable for reading to children aged 3 and upwards, and can be enjoyed by readers of all ages due to their extreme beauty and delightfulness. You can read more about them here and buy them in our webshop – £4 each or £20 for all 6.

New this month: Everything That Can Happen

The future is upon us... and it's an anthology of poems edited by Suzannah Evans and Tom Sastry! If you're curious about what the future holds for us all, definitely get a copy of this. Here's a snippet from the introduction:

"Poets look forward in different ways: some anxiously, some with hope, and some with resignation. Some look into a distant, apocalyptic future; some take the moment we live in and nudge it very slightly beyond what we know; all explore their feelings about the present. This book is full of energy, prophecy, humour, despair, passion, anger, fear and love. It is sometimes indecent. It looks unflinchingly into the darkness, at the brutality of human nature and the fatbergs of our shadow selves."

You can read more about the book and the poets here, and you can buy the book for £10 in our webshop. We're having a launch party in London on Monday 18th February – do come if you can! Full details here.

New this month: The Girl Who Learned...

... All The Languages Of The World. This is our first chapter book for children, which is very exciting for me as I've always wanted to publish these. The Girl Who Learned... is the charming tale of a girl who gets embarrassed at a grown-up dinner party full of multi-lingual diplomats, and henceforth resolves to learn as many languages as possible.

It's by Ieva Flamingo, author of 2017's poetry collection for children, The Noisy Classroom, with colour illustrations from Chein Shyan Lee and a translation from Latvian by Žanete Vēvere Pasqualini. You can read the press release here and buy it for £12 in our webshop.

In case you missed them at the end of 2018...

Upcoming events

Here are some of our more imminent events. If you'd like to receive Philippa's events round-up newsletter, just update your preferences here and tick the 'Events' box. Here are some of the more imminent events:

• Sat 2nd Feb, London. Launch party for The Head That Wears A Crown – details here.
• Sat 9th Feb, Birmingham. Valentine's open mic night at the Hive in the Jewellery Quarter – details here.
• Thurs 14th Feb, Birmingham. I'm hosting the Poetry Parlour, with special guest Andrew McMillan – details here. Part of Verve Poetry Festival!
• Mon 18th Feb, London. Launch party for Everything That Can Happen: Poems about the Future – details here.

That's all for now! Do forward this newsletter onto your friends if you think they might enjoy it, or encourage them to sign up themselves.

Best wishes,

Emma Wright

Publisher at the Emma Press