Imprints, Magazines & Presses
The Literary Pocket Book
Steven Hitchens
Pontypridd, Wales
2007-
Pontypridd, Wales
2007-
The Literary Pocket Book's 2016 reprint of Allen Fisher's Ideas on the Culture Dreamed Of (1983)
"Born and brought up in the South Wales Valleys, I studied at Aberystwyth University and currently live in Pontypridd where I work as a college and community teacher of English and Creative Writing. My own writing makes use of psychogeographical derive and cut-up techniques to investigate urban-rural borderzones. The Literary Pocket Book is a small press publishing homemade pamphlets of contemporary experimental poetry and prose with an interest in unusual book-folds and formats. The press was first imagined in conversation with John Maher (a writer who remains closely involved with the press) circa 2003. Between 2007-8 we produced three A5 magazines. In 2012, I began the LPBmicro series of miniature books using origami folds. Writers published by the press include Allen Fisher, Rhys Trimble, Caroline Goodwin, David Greenslade, Elisabeth Bletsoe, David Berridge, Zuzana Husarova and Olga Pek. I am inspired by the UK little magazine and small press scene of the 1970s and 1980s: homemade stapled pamphlets of mimeographed typewriter pages. In particular I have been inspired by the experimental publishing activities of the British poet Allen Fisher, who began producing edible magazines in 1968 and went on to set up Spanner magazine and press in 1974. First I discuss with the contributor(s) ideas of how the form in which we present the work could explore the space of the text, inviting them to suggest materials, colours and shape of the proposed book. Templates and prototypes are then bounced back and forth with the contributor(s) suggesting or making any alterations needed. Finally I print and make the books, which involves printing on a home printer, cutting with a guillotine, folding using a paper creaser and gluing with glue-stick."
—Steven Hitchens, June 2015
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—Steven Hitchens, June 2015
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Selected output
The Literary Pocket Book 1-3 (2007-2009)
LPBmicro series 1-9 Series of miniature origami-fold booklets
Allen Fisher. Ideas on the Culture Dreamed Of (2016)
LPBmicro series 1-9 Series of miniature origami-fold booklets
Allen Fisher. Ideas on the Culture Dreamed Of (2016)