Coming soon: Thunder on the highway, by Gary Cummiskey

A chapbook of short, haiku-like poems by Gary Cummiskey. 24 pages. A limited edition of 50 copies. Published by Dye Hard Press.

In conversation

Don't succumb to the lockdown blues

Don't let the prolonged lockdown get you down - why not order a copy of Graeme Feltham's With the Safety Off?  

It’s Yeoville in the mid-1990s. Enter Fig, a copywriter with a penchant for living on the edge – staying up all night, having casual sex and snorting cocaine. Drifting from seedy clubs to grotty flats, Fig continues his aimless odyssey … until the day he falls asleep in a client presentation and is fired.

Nine months later Fig is hooked on heroin and turns to drug-dealing for survival. If his previous lifestyle skirted close to the danger zone, it’s now gloves off as he drops all pretence of respectability and descends into a world of syndicates and violence.

From now on, he’s living with the safety off.

With introductions by Luke Feltham and James de Villiers.

220 pp.

ISBN 978-0-9869982-6-3

Available directly from Dye Hard Press. If you live in South Africa, the book can be courier to your door for R260.00.

Email dyehardpress@iafrica.com to order.

Where does she go to?

Spice up your reading with these 16 short story collections by African writers from Indie presses

Well, I must say it is damn wonderful to see Pravasan Pillay's Chatsworth listed as one of 16 highly recommended short story collections by African writers from Indie presses - way to go!

Forthcoming from Dye Hard Press: Thunder on the highway by Gary Cummiskey

A chapbook of short, haiku-like poems by Gary Cummiskey. Limited to 50 copies. Details to follow.

Stay safe

Just hang on

'Gone, gone' on altoviolet

One of my short stories from my collection Off-ramp appears on the altoviolet website.

Title 'Gone, gone', it is a crazy one (actually they are all crazy) about a journal who meets up with Patti Smith in Johannesburg.

You can read it here.

Wedding preparations

With the Safety off at Clarkes' Books' in Cape Town

Wonderful to see Graeme Feltham's With the Safety Off listed on the catalogue of Clarkes Books' in Cape Town.

Looking forward to the end of lockdown when we can get back to doing normal things like order hardcopy books!

Deep in a dream

Easter Sunday

Kick out the jambs

Dye Hard Interview: karl kempton and Philip Davenport: Reconnecting the links

karl kempton

karl kempton lives happily with his beloved wife, Ruth, in Oceano, California. Over 45 lexical and visual poetry titles of his have been published nationally and internationally.New series have been published by Otoliths 52 and Tip of the Knife 32. His environmental activism includes marine environment and sacred Chumash site protection.

Philip Davenport is a poet who often works off the page, in galleries and streets; he runs the small press Apple Pie Editions. His anthology The Dark Would (2013) gathered and exhibited world-leading text artists and visual poets. Philip co-directed mass-collaboration The Homeless Library in 2016, the first ever history of British homelessness. It was inscribed into handmade books by contemporary homeless people and launched at the Houses of Parliament and the Southbank in London, UK. 

DH: karl, what motivated you to start compiling A History of Visual Text Art, and how did you, Philip, get involved from the publishing aspect?

karl: In 2004 Dan Waber asked me about the differences between concrete and visual poetries. From that question came my long overview, “VISUAL POETRY: A Brief History of Ancestral Roots and Modern Traditions,” that he published, containing many hot links for those interested in examples and supporting text sources.  As far as I am aware, no English language individual has attempted another comprehensive global overview beginning with rock art to add to or correct my “Brief History.” Over the years some links broke or died. Read more. 

The she-spirit prepares to dance