Last night I went to the launch of Anon 6, which is the 6th edition of Anon poetry magazine, but the first by new editors Colin Fraser and Peggy Hughes. Anon is a really interesting publication which selects its poems through a process of blind review in an effort to ‘treat the poem as a freestanding artefact to be considered without reference to the poet’s reputation or previous work’.
As Peter Finch commented in his Foreword to the inaugural edition:
Publishing is a tough business. Anon, gloriously, and I have to say bravely and inventively, will put this right. Names here don’t count. Only the poetry does. It is judged by its words, its form, the way it sounds, the way it looks. Quality matters. Remember that elusive factor? At Anon it’s back.
I really do recommend you get a hold of the back issues, as it really is a treat: a poetry magazine with really high production values, fascinating essays and, of course, brilliant poems. If the buzz at last night’s launch is anything to go by, the new edition is going to be very popular indeed!
Congratulations to all the Anon team and to the Scottish Poetry Library which did a sterling job hosting the event!
PS You can follow both Anon Poetry & the Scottish Poetry Library on Twitter!
Scientific discipline to a poetic enterprise. How cool.
As one of the contributors to Anon 6, I am delighted that the launch went well, and I am just as pleased to be a small part of this important project.