LONDON LITERATURE FESTIVAL

May 20th 2013

Today is the first day of this year's London Literature Festival - the beginnings of a daily onslaught of literary happenings at London's ever brilliant Southbank Centre. There's not an awful lot more we can say other than to go and peruse the full line-up, then start booking your tickets. As lovers of print, we'll be particularly interested to hear some of the ideas thrown out at this event.

NEW WEBSITE

May 15th 2013

We're chest-puffingly proud to present our shiny new website that has been bubbling away in the pipeline for the last few months. With so much time and attention lavished on the detail of the print magazine, the website had been a bit of an afterthought...until now.

So, with many a late night spent labouring over the most irrelevant of details, it's now a little simpler to use and a lot more informative. We were particularly keen to make it easier to take a look inside every issue we've ever made, so whether past or present, sold out or still in print, you can now take a digital flick through each issue of Popshot at our single issues page. Go take a look around...

POPSHOT IN WHSMITH

May 10th 2013

Following on rather nicely from the post below about the potential loss of physical outlets selling books and magazines, we were informed today by our distributors that Popshot has been taken on by WHSmith. After a quick pop into our local outlet, it turns out the rumours are true. From day one we've always dreamt of being available at almost every airport, train station and high street across the land and if all goes well, it could become a reality. The magazine is currently on trial in 120 WHSmith stores across the UK and if it sells well, we stand to become a permanent fixture. If it doesn't, we'll pretend it never happened and claim that getting stocked there is a form of 'selling out'. All bases covered.

So, if you happen to stumble across Popshot in your local WHSmith and don't already own a copy, please do pick one up!

THE LAST BOOKSHOP

May 8th 2013

With every new technological development, or every major roll out of a product that uses said technological development, a death knell is sounded. With the invention of radio, it was thought that newspapers would die out. With the invention of TV, it was thought that radio would die out. With the invention of the internet, it was thought that TV, radio, and newspapers would die out. However, as the decades have passed, we've all come to realise (well, hopefully we have) that just because a new technology has arrived, it doesn't mean previous ones have to lay to rest.

Despite this, physical bookselling has undoubtedly taken a bit of a pounding in the last few years. We've watched as countless bookshops have fallen foul of not just a recession, but also the boom in online bookselling. At various points we've wondered what the future of physical outlets selling books and magazines would look like, and here, in the form of The Last Bookshop we've been given a frightening glimpse.

Created by a selected bunch of lunatics that call themselves The Bakery, the short film presents a world where physical bookshops are extinct, with the exception of one. We won't go too much into the details - you can find out for yourself above - but if you have the time, it's well advised to watch it. Although we don't think this is the future (and coincidentally nor do the filmmakers) it acts as a vivid reminder of what could happen if Amazon owned the book industry altogether.

MUSA OKWONGA'S POETRY FILM IN 360°

April 27th 2013

We love innovation, and not just innovation for the sake of it, but when it can actually add some value. When that innovation then starts affecting the world of literature, that's when it starts getting really exciting.

We hadn't actually come across the concept of 360° interactive video before (although It's Nice That claim the technology is not new) but it's been harnessed beautifully for London-based poet Musa Okwonga's latest poetry film, 'Heavyweight'. Some of you may remember him as the author of 'Pigeonholes' in Issue 3 of Popshot, and his clean articulateness has clearly been unaffected by the years. Go and take a look at the film over at It's Nice That and thanks to the magic of interactivity, take a look around London as Musa's words wash over.

POPSHOT IN DAZED & CONFUSED

April 24th 2013

You might have to forgive us for our self-indulgence in light of the last post being slightly inward looking, but after discovering that we're in the latest print edition of Dazed & Confused, we couldn't resist. With Popshot cited as "a who isn't yet who of contemporary literature" it's a short but sharply praising review of the new issue, and was an opportunity for our Editor to name-drop his top three young literary magazines of the moment, in the form of The Alarmist, Teller and The White Review. If you happen to pass a copy on the newsstand, pick one up!

"POPSHOT LOOKS FOR THE BEST AND FINDS IT"

April 19th 2013

We may have spoken before of our fondness for reviews, regardless of whether they're positive or not. Should we agree or heavily object, it's always an opportunity for us to stand back and listen to what others think of the magazine, and take stock of what we're doing well and what we could be doing better. However, judging by the latest review of The Imagination Issue from The List, it doesn't look like we'll be needing to make drastic changes anytime soon.

In their own words - 'Popshot looks for the best and finds it'. Read the review here.

LIT MAG NAMES

April 17th 2013

First it was actor's names, then it was porn star's names, and now it seems the concept has transferred over to working out your own literary magazine name, thanks to the people over at Writer's Relief. No matter what way we try it though, nothing seems to work quite as well as the pornographic tones of 'Popshot Magazine'...

DOODLE FESTIVALS: PICK ME UP AND DRAWING NOW

April 10th 2013

The middle of April seems to be the time of the doodle festivals with both Drawing Now in Paris, and Pick Me Up in London opening up their doors in the coming days. Although both have very different tastes - with Pick Me Up championing the more graphic whilst Drawing Now celebrates the more traditional - they should both be fascinating to spend some time in if you're into any aspect of the visual arts. Drawing Now begins tomorrow at the Le Carrousel du Louvre in Paris, and Pick Me Up will take over Somerset House in London from April 18th.

ISSUE 9: THE IMAGINATION ISSUE - OUT NOW

April 3rd 2013

Our ninth issue, which pays homage to one of the finest facets of humankind - Imagination - officially launched today, and we couldn't be more delighted with it. From tall tales of market stalls selling ideas, to imagined rooms and lives that gradually become real, to worlds where we find our lost loved ones again; Issue 9 is chock-full of short stories, flash fiction, and poetry that addresses the ethereal, the surreal, and the fantastical creations of our minds. We've always been fascinated by the phantasmagoric and this issue was an opportunity to indulge in just that.

All pre-orders and subscriber's copies were posted out this morning and will be arriving through letterboxes around the globe in the coming days (or weeks, depending on where you live). If you want to get your hands on a copy, you can take a digital peek inside the issue by downloading our 8-page sampler, before ordering the real thing at our single issues page, or subscribing for £10.

THE IMMINENCE OF ISSUE 9

March 28th 2013

In an attempt to leave less of The Imagination Issue up to the imagination, here's another little taster of what our forthcoming issue holds in store. 4500 copies have now been signed off, printed, and are currently being bound before we take delivery of them on April 2nd, with the new issue being officially launched the next day. You can still pre-order a copy or if you want to wait and see what the magazine looks like when it's in its finished form, drop back in on us on April 3rd. Until then, a very happy Easter from Popshot!

WORLD POETRY DAY - INVISIBLE ARCHITECTURE

March 20th 2013

In case you weren't already aware, tomorrow is World Poetry Day which means that there will be literally hundreds of events taking place all over the world in the name of poetry, and many more taking place in the days following it. One such event taking place this weekend is Invisible Architecture, an installation at The Roundhouse that comprises of a pop-up poetry library and listening station that will forge international links and creative collaborations between writers and publishers, swapping stories from around the world as they build their cities through what they say. Curated by Antlers Press, it's a free event that takes place on both Saturday and Sunday.

To join in the festivities, we've handed over a box of Popshot back issues to The Roundhouse, with free copies available to anyone who pops along over the weekend. So if you're anywhere near Camden this weekend and want to get a free copy of Popshot whilst immersing yourself in some international poetry, we highly recommend that you do.

ISSUE 9 - THE COVER

March 13th 2013

Following on from the premature and unexpected selling out of The Birth Issue, we can finally unveil the cover of Issue 9 - The Imagination Issue. Illustrated by the immensely brilliant Peter Strain, it's the first cover with a proper colour background that we've ever done. Talk about pushing the boat out. We've also opened up pre-orders for the first time in a little while to ensure that we don't make the same mistake of running out of copies before a new issue arrives. If you want to ensure that you're one of the first to get your hands on a copy of The Imagination Issue, pre-order a copy or subscribe for £10. Issue 9 will officially launch on April 1st, with copies being sent out the next day.

PERFECT BINDING VS SADDLE STITCH

March 11th 2013

Here's a little film from the people behind Works That Work, with a pretty blatant leaning towards one form of binding over another. You might be able to work out which in a fairly short space of time, and if you agree with the sentiment, feel free to let us know. We're always game for suggestions.

FILMPOEMS FOR HARPER'S BAZAAR

March 7th 2013

We always love to see poetry and literature fusing into other art forms and industries, especially when it's delivered tastefully. Although it would be a crime to call the garbled nonsense that is spouted on perfume ads 'poetry' there is a definite affiliation between the fashion world and the literary one, and these latest poetry films from Harper's Bazaar are testament to that. Featuring young model-poets Greta Bellamacina and Max Wallis, the films are inspired by London and the whirl of the London catwalk shows respectively. Head to the Harper's Bazaar website to view Greta's film Blake's Wife and Max's film Improbable Worlds.

MAGPILE

February 27th 2013

For a while now, we've been observing the rise of online magazine platform Magpile, a kind of social platform that allows people to list, review, and discover magazines from all over the world. With a particular focus on independent magazines - and with the unveiling of the brand new Magpile Store - it's a brilliant resource that one day could grow into a sort of iTunes for both digital and printed magazines. Go take a wander around the hundreds of titles listed on there and pick up a few of them courtesy of the new store. If one happens to be Popshot, we promise we won't think any less of you.

WHERE DO WE END UP?

February 20th 2013

Each issue we fling 4500 copies out into the world, some finding their way to people's doormats, others finding their way onto the shelves of bookstores around the world, whilst others navigate their way into people's hands courtesy of a tangled series of events and coincidences. We love hearing about what happens to those copies after they've left Popshot HQ (the above photo was from one of our readers who picked up a copy in a Barnes & Noble store in Cincinnati, Ohio) but we very rarely do. So if you have a copy nestled somewhere or have spotted one nestled somewhere, send it in to us at hello [at] popshotpopshot.com and help manipulate our facial features into a roaring grin.

LOVE DAY

February 14th 2013

We tend to do our best to ignore national days round here, unless it's for a good cause (World Blood Donor Day), downright ridiculous (International Pillow Fight Day), or an opportunity for us to flog our wares (Valentine's Day). We probably should have been trying to shove our rather brilliant Love issue down people's throats in the lead up to Valentine's Day but unfortunately our lack of marketing prowess allowed that train to sail. So, in the spirit of love and romance and everything else, what better day to buy a copy of our Love issue than today? It's also an opportunity to bring back out the work of the exceedingly talented illustrator, Ross McEwan whose above illustration formed the visual accompaniment to Gavin Bryce's poem 'One Flesh' in the issue.

ONE BORN EVERY MINUTE: THE THRIVING TIMES OF THE LIT MAG

February 6th 2013

With all of this laughable talk of poetry being dead (here's the latest article to cause controversy) you would be forgiven for thinking that the world of literature was on its knees as well. However, if the launch of a new independent magazine every literary minute is anything to go by, the world of literature won't be experiencing the strength of gravity anytime soon. Earlier this year, Observer journalist Hermione Hoby drew our attention to the crop of literary magazines coming out of New York, most of them piloted by young gun 20-somethings with something to say - a story that would have read fairly similarly had it have been written with a focus on this side of the pond.

Arguably, the beauty of the literary magazine world is in its diversity. Whilst many fashion magazines fit into an accepted format, the humble literary magazine varies drastically from one execution to another. From the tradition of The London Review of Books and The Paris Review, to the more obscure and experimental McSweeney's, to the bookmark-cum-poetry magazine Dog Ear, to Francis Ford Coppola's cinema-inspired Zoetrope, each one has its own unique stance that makes it stand out from the next one. The latest magazine to join the party is Apology, the quarterly magazine from ex-Vice Editor in Chief, Jesse Pearson, who hopes to bring literature to a Vice-like audience. London-based magazine The Alarmist who just launched their second issue are blowing the stereotypical literature model out of the water, printing poems on balloons and describing themselves as a 'dark, funny and twisted printed literary magazine'. Not only is it great to see so many magazines appearing, it's even greater to see them coming from so many different standpoints.

Perhaps this is something to do with a distinct lack of commercialism. Literary magazines have never been famed for making vast amounts of money; many of them are the kitchen table creations of a passionate few who with the support of a day job or some savings can turn the dream into a reality. Perhaps it's to do with the ease with which magazines can be made nowadays. Or perhaps it's to do with the breadth that the form allows. Whatever it may be, we don't think we'll be seeing a 'Literary magazines are dead' article anytime soon...

SELLING OUT

February 1st 2013

Just four months after launching it into the world, we've almost sold out of our latest issue: The Birth Issue. We now have just 30 copies of it left on the shelves of Popshot HQ so if you want to get hold of one before they disappear altogether, now is probably a better time than never.

You can pick up a single copy for £6 plus postage, or subscribe for £10 a year and get three issues beginning with The Birth Issue. We're not brilliant at maths but we're pretty sure that £10 ÷ 3 = a complete bargain.