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About Brando's Hat

Brando's Hat was launched in 1990 as an occasional magazine by Steven Waling. In 1998 it was adopted by Sean Body's Tarantula Publications in Salford and was published three times a year until issue 12 when its publication ceased. We feature here all the 12 issues which appeared over four years from 1998 to 2002. The type of poetry this magazine published is best described by quoting from editorial of issue 5:

Since launching Brando's Hat we are frequently being asked, "What kind of poetry do you publish?" A difficult question to answer, except in general, and consequently unsatisfactory, terms. I suppose the short answer is, "Read the magazine" - not a bad idea anyway. (Do some 'poetry enthusiasts' read only where to mail their immortal odes?) But even a careful study of our output must not be taken as a guide to the extent of our taste. Like democracy, our choices are always limited by what is made available. So, although in some quarters, we are already being pigeonholed as having a preference for experimental and 'heavy' poetry, we would truly welcome a little more humour and celebration.  We are looking for poetry that has something to say and says it memorably. We are looking for energy and control, originality and craft. We are looking for poets with an achieved body of work; but like also to let talented beginners get in among their more accomplished peers. We would like to think our choices are objective, but it is fairer to say we publish the poems we like best from those submitted and, as far as is practicable, feature each poet with a generous amount of space.