Poetry Magazines - The best collection of poetry magazines online - Simon Armitage

Ambit celebrates a 100 numbers

The Ambit Axe (Edit in Ambit 1). On the gramophone Fats Waller has been squawking out one of his extraordinary love songs

‘If this isn’t love it will have to do -
Until the real thing comes along.’

Good friends helped start the magazine: Janet & Robin Harland, Alec Worster, Robert Cook, Judy, Real Australian Artist Andie Fergusson. (But he went back home.)

Meet Edwin Brock - publish poem of his.

Meet Michael Foreman publish drawing of his.

Appoint Brock Poetry Editor he introduces Zulfikhar Ghose, B. S. Johnson, Peter Porter etc., etc.

Travel North of the Wash, Manchester, Liverpool, Connor and Roger McGough (1962).

Appoint Mike Foreman Art Editor. He introduces Peter Blake, David Hockney, Patrick Hughes, etc., etc. Not to mention Ron Sandford.

How did I meet Gavin Ewart.

Read The Drowned World: call on J. G. Ballard. J.C.B. appointed Prose Editor. He introduces himself (and me) & Eduardo Paolozzi (chief prose writer and novelist for years).

Keep meeting the Arts Council. Keep having to pay the bills (Eric Walter White is nice).

- There is abroad. J. Laughlin likes Ambit. So do some Italians and even the Poles. Ambit means (one meaning) in all directions (new directions helps).

Fall over Henry Graham in the Liverpool Philharmonic. 2nd Poetry Editor. He introduces brilliant young prose writer James Mangnall and poets.

We have a worker who sometimes gets paid. Andrew Lanyon. Annie Lauterbach etc. Vanessa Jackson stays and stays, draws too.

In Island Queen (pub) refuse to play poker (or chess) with Derek Birdsall. Discover packaging with Omnific (Alan Kitching, Andrew Gosset, Martin Lee).

Wardle has a whirl at the theatre.

A small man from Montserrat, E. A. (Archie) Markham. He introduces the Caribbean Islands.

Beautiful Euphoria Bliss. Ambit accused of sexism and pornography. A man loves all the women who helped. Carol Ann Duffy - 3rd Poetry Editor.

Ballard blasts all poets. We ban the Motion of Levi and Raine. Chase the Academics back to beastly booring moors, their Bogs. Keeping writing Jim Burns.

Staggering into the Nineties. All those Liverpool cats again Henri/Henry.

Meet an ARTS Minster, Lord Gowrie. Arts Council slash grant (again). Have to live in England. Laughlin asks How’s Mrs Bismarck.

It’s called running a small magazine. Until the Real Thing Comes Along. Bye-bye for now. T.T.F.N. See you in Ambit 102.