Brian Kirk's Blog

This is another example of a new poetry publisher setting up to meet the demand from writers and readers of poetry. In recent years we’ve seen the emergence of many new online and paper journals and zines that reflect new work in poetry and the short story – I’m thinking immediately of the success of Bare Hands, Wordlegs and The Poetry Bus to name but three.

This is a little bit different again. Smithereens Press was set up with the intention of producing high-quality poetic texts of chapbook-length to be made available online. The decision to start the press was founded on the understanding that opportunities to release shorter texts, particularly those that may not meet the criteria of standard full-length collections, are restricted by financial realities and limited interest on the part of the more-established publishers. The ambition is to provide a venue for poets so that their work may be made widely available to a community of readers and poets here in Ireland and abroad.

The press recently released their first three publications (and have others forthcoming);
The Server Room – Conor O’Callaghan
Rain – Maurice Scully
Zero at the Bone – David Wheatley

Kenneth Keating, founder and editor, goes on to say: “Smithereens Press endeavours to produce chapbooks of the highest quality of various forms of poetry. These publications may be complete mini-collections, stepping stones toward a more established volume of poetry, or transient texts which embrace a condition of open-endedness.

The press welcomes work from diverse poetic backgrounds and its editorial policy hopes to blur any reductive divisions between ‘traditional’ or ‘experimental’ poetry. This project is still in its infancy, but we are proud of the start we have made. This is only a start, however, and we need help to get our message out and to grow this press so that poets, emerging and established, and readers of poetry alike can find a new entry point into contemporary Irish poetry.”

They are open for submissions now – check out their Submission Guidelines. All enquiries and submissions should be made to the editor, Kenneth Keating, at smithereens.press@gmail.com.

I recommend you take some time to enjoy the three publications to date – they are each very interesting and very different. Save it as a favourite –  I have – and go back to the poems again and again. And if you have something you’re working on that fits the bill, why not submit and see what happens.

Updates and news on their latest releases can be found on Facebook and Twitter (@SmithereensPres) pages. Keep an eye on this one!

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