[published on House of Dodge, 07/06/2021]
It’s official: indoor dodgeball is back! And it’s only been just over 400 days since the first lockdown – not that we’re counting or anything.
An Interview with Mark Wilson, Author of “PowerPoint Eulogy”
(published on Bandit Fiction, 31/05/2021)
Mark Wilson is an author and visual artist based in Chicago. His first poetry pamphlet, PowerPoint Eulogy, was published by Fly on the Wall Press in 2021. It is a darkly comic collection of narrative poems that follow the life and death of the enigmatic Bill Motluck, and the PowerPoint presentation that eulogises him in a three-hour meeting for his coworkers. A review for PowerPoint Eulogy can be found here.
Review: “Powerpoint Eulogy” by Mark Wilson
(published 24/05/2021 on Bandit Fiction)
With offices opening up and the end of the Work-From-Home year in sight, there might never have been a more relevant book to read than PowerPoint Eulogy, one of Fly on the Wall Press’s latest publications in its “Shorts” series, and artist Mark Wilson’s first poetry pamphlet. Then again, there might never have been a worse time to read it. It is a perfect reminder of everything we left behind in the four walls of the office: the strange darkness and banal evil that’s been stewing, waiting for our return.
What does BUCS mean for Dodgeball?
(published on House of Dodge, 09/05/2021)
It’s been years in the making but, finally, we’re here.
Almost as long as there’s been dodgeball at British universities, there’s been talk of “going BUCS”: joining the British Universities and Colleges Sports (BUCS) system, the governing body of university level sports within the UK.
Patrick Nally: Dodgeball’s New Inside-Man
(published on House of Dodge, 25/04/2021)
When the World Dodgeball Federation (WDBF) announced in March that Patrick Nally was joining the organisation as an advisor, the news was met with great excitement. Words like FIFA, Coca-Cola, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) colour his biography. For many, the fact that someone with such credit to his name would be willing to help dodgeball was a sign of something we’ve been waiting for. Dodgeball is being recognised as a serious sport; a sport worth backing; a sport that has the potential to be something truly great, with just a little guidance from the right person.
Could Patrick Nally be that person?
Zoë Wells on Pat Edwards and Kittie Belltree
(published 21/04/2021)
The central problem at the core of all pamphlets is space. There’s so little time to build up to anything of substance that many err on the side of caution, opting to tackle a tiny concept in great depth. In Pat Edwards’ Only Blood, however, the subject is the greatest and longest: life, complete and whole. This is a bold decision, one that easily could have floundered. But instead of feeling lacking, the experience of reading the pamphlet is akin to watching a train go by from the platform: you can see individual snippets in each window, each frame showing a complete, succinct image, and then in a flash it’s gone; but the next carriage is still part of the same train, the whole thing connecting seamlessly. Life is short, but deep, made up of tiny moments that define us.
Getting to know… Simon Tapping
(published 20/04/2021 on House of Dodge)
You’ve seen the sweat and post-workout squints on Instagram. You’ve witnessed his jammy catches and powerful throws in that iconic purple jersey. Now meet Simon Tapping – Phantoms coach, captain, founder; England hopeful; lockdown hero and all round great guy – as he sits down with us for an interview.
Mither Tongue – A love letter to translation
(published by Ink, Sweat and Tears 14/04/2021)
Parallel translations always bring a certain kind of joy. I have fond memories of reading Pablo Neruda for the first time, original text on the left, English translation on the right. Feeling out the Spanish sounds out loud with no understanding, then checking the following page and finding that sweet intersection, where sound precedes meaning and then adds to it. The musicality of poetry is obvious when you have the two parts of a poem – sound and meaning – separated onto two sides of a page.
Enter Mither Tongue, a collection of translations of the Chinese poet Jidi Majia, and one that I would struggle to call parallel. Perhaps it’s better named triangular translation, three versions of the same poem dancing across the page. Jidi’s original at the back, English on the left by Denis Mair, and a dialect of Scots on the right.
An Interview with Ryan Dennis, Author of ‘The Beasts They Turned Away’
(published 22/03/2021)
Ryan Dennis is a former Fulbright Scholar in Creative writing, and has taught at several universities. He recently completed a PhD at the National University of Ireland, Galway. His work has been published in a number of journals, including the Cimarron Review, The Threepenny Review, and Fusion. He is also a syndicated columnist in various agricultural journals around the world. His first novel, The Beasts They Turned Away, was published by Époque Press in March 2021, and follows an aging farmer facing adversity as he tries to hold onto both his farm and the young boy he takes care of.
