APRIL
STAND and the IRON Age.

JON SILKIN
Poet, critic and editor Born in London on December the 2nd
Died Newcastle Upon Tyne November 25th 1997 aged 66.
Silkin is the legendary founder of STAND literary magazine in 1952
Gregory Fellow in Poetry at Leeds University 1958-60, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Winner of the Faber Memorial Prize for ‘Nature with Man’ (1965). C.Day Lewis Fellowship 1976-77
Arrived in Newcastle in 1964 at the behest of the North East Association for the Arts which became Northern Arts which invited him to base the magazine STAND in Newcastle. It was published in Newcastle until 1999 when the magazine returned to Leeds.
Durham bread (Extract)Streets of terrace houses coverthe hill, the sun's tufts and hollowsin lilac smoke turning the stoneto honey. The railway stepsthrough on arches. This is Galaminer and minister, bands that breaklugubrious cries. The hushed brass,
Copyright Jon Silkin for full version of poem and more visit
http://www.people.vcu.edu/~dlatane/bread.html
STAND ‘Quarterly of the Arts’
Jon Silkin's statement about STAND MAGAZINE.’ How it all Began’
I began Stand in London. The magazine's inception was greatly assisted by the American firm for which I was then working as a lavatory cleaner. One day, the foreman approached the five or six janitors and told us that he wanted us to work overtime, but at the flat rate. Then, as now, work was scarce, but I was so incensed by the foreman's attitude that I tried to organize a tiny union of janitors to protest against our treatment. This was unsuccessful and in the event I took the can. My employers were so anxious to get rid of me that they gave me a day and a half's holiday pay. Before I left, I went to the stationary department and, with the money, bought at a discount the paper for the magazine I intended to produce. Stand began as a mimeographed magazine with a printed cover. The first issue had twenty pages on light green paper and sold for 8d. Four hundred copies were produced and distributed.

Jon Silkin continued to produce the magazine until 1957, but then was forced to stop. It was not until 1960, while he held the Gregory Fellowship in poetry at Leeds University, that he began again with volume 4 no. 1, assisted financially by a number of Leeds and Bradford businessmen. The magazine was published from Leeds, without any further subsidy, until 1965. In that year the North East Association for the Arts (later Northern Arts) invited him to base the magazine in Newcastle upon Tyne, and it was published regularly from there until 1999, when the editorial offices moved to Leeds University.
Stand is a quarterly literary magazine established in 1952. Jon Silkin founded Stand as "an attempt to remedy the intellectual situation of reader and poet" in response to our need for "something more human . . . for art and a public which is prepared to be receptive" where the art in Stand is "what is simple in expression and human in its context; for the chances that the compound will be profound and worth reading are reasonable." In 2002 Stand celebrated its 50th anniversary of quarterly publication with a SPECIAL ISSUE featuring new poetry from Alasdair Gray, Andrew Motion, Michael Symmons Roberts, Simon Armitage, Anne Stevenson, Rodney Pybus, Edwin Morgan, W. N. Herbert, Robert Crawford, C. K. Stead, Amanda Dalton, Stephen Romer, and Michael Hamburger. Stand's long tradition of translation is continued with Ian Fairley's renderings of Paul Celan, and E. A. Markham contributes a short story. Stand's anniversary was also celebrated at Leeds University with a reading by ten poets, A Northern Birthday Party: Fifty Years of Stand. Amongst Stand's recent publishing history is a special issue by and about the poet Geoffrey Hill, including a large portion of his forthcoming new book of poems, and the March 2001 Nobel issue which features poetry by Seamus Heaney, Wislawa Szymborska, Rabindranath Tagore, Czeslaw Milosz, Samuel Beckett, William Butler Yeats's acceptance speech for the Nobel prize and Joseph Brodsky and Derek Walcott on form in poetry.

PETER MORTIMER
Journalist, Editor, Poet , Author and Playwright
Peter, formerly of the Newcastle Journal and now freelancing, is also an author, poet and playwright, and lives locally at Cullercoats. He was the editor of IRON Magazine from 1973 until it closed and is still editor of IRON press which publishes poetry , plays and he also runs a theatrical company, Cloud Nine.
SOME BOOKS BY PETER MORTIMER
Broke Through Britain, which tells of his journey in the summer of 1988, when he set off on the 500-mile journey from Plymouth to Edinburgh, with no money, transport or accommodation. The book tells of his experiences on the road, the physical demands placed on him, and the problems of life lived on the fringes of society.
I Married the Angel of the North (Five Leaves) (Poetry)
!00 Days on Hold Island (
IRON PRESS
http://www.ironpress.co.uk/ipoetry.htm
No formula writing here - we spurn literary competitions and prizes, marketing junkets, vacuous works by overhyped minor celebrities, or other books whose main effect is simply to waste trees.

IRON MAGAZINE
Launched in Spring 1973.number 1 features Allen Ginsberg and is published out of Connie and Tom Pickard’s home address before moving to Beverley Terrace, Cullercoats and on to the now legendary address at Marden Terrace, Cullercoats. Number Four was 15 pence and 36 pages and included work by S.J.Litherland, Keith Armstrong and John Earl. By Iron 6 the magazine was Forty pages and 20p. Assistant Editor from 6 was Peta Hemmings and Reviews were handled by Yann Lovelock who also worked for ‘The Little Word Machine’ magazine in Bradford edited by Nick Toczek. Iron 7 featured Adrian Mitchell, Iron 8 Dave Ward (Smoke magazine) and Nick Toczek. Iron 9 featured Mike Wilkin, Vincent Morrisson, ‘Mike’ Standen, Tom Pickard, William Martin and Steve Sneyd. No.14 had a new art editor Pete Swan. By Issue 19 it had a new assistant Editor in Jenny McKay (previously Editor of Isis). A David Almond story ‘Chickens’ featured in Iron 23 which was 1978-9. Adverts in the magazine have a visiting Writers series at Whitley Bay Library featuring Fred Reed, Brian Patten, Bob Pegg and Andrew Sinclair and readings at Ceolfrith Arts Centre in Sunderland by Roy Fisher, Pete Morgan and Cal Clothier. Brendan Cleary appears in Issue 44 and Pete Swan leaves and is replaced by Clare Brennan. In Issue 45 a new assistant Editor in Christina Lambert. Maura Dooley was also an assistant Editor at Iron in 1985. Featured in Iron 46 Bunting’s death and a feature on IRON at LUMB BANK. The Arvon Foundation. David Stephenson has a story in this issue he later becomes a long standing assistant Editor on Iron and Editor of Bay Press. IRON 48 features a bad poetry competition which receives three entries. Assistant Editor is now Ian McMillan. By IRON 49 the print run is 700 and selling at £1.50 per issue. It is now 1986. Simon Armitage appears for the first time in Issue 50. Aidan Harrison of Crawcrook is noted as the only ‘unbroken’ subscriber. The magazine by Issue 50 had published over a thousand writers had two documentaries on television made about it and had a good reputation for innovation. The magazine is closed at Issue 82/3 a double issue to make way for IRON PRESS which thrives to this day.
Men Of Iron a poetry reading in January 1974 featuring writers from Iron.
Men Of Iron 2 poetry reading in 1975 with Edwin Morgan and Jim Burns et al.

KITTY FITZGERALD Novelist, Poet, Playwright, Editor and Organiser.

With Peter Mortimer is part of the IRON Press team.Editing various anthologies 'Biting Back' New Fiction from the North and 'Iron Women' - short stories. Poetry includes 'For Crying out Loud' (with Valerie Laws) and in many anthologies and magazines. Novels include 'Small Acts of Treachery', ' Snapdragons' and 'Marge' and Plays 'Can't See the Wood For the Trees' and Films 'Dream On' (Amber Films). A prolific and dynamic writer who works tirelessly in the North East and beyond.

25th September - Date of birth24th March 1986: Came to Tyneside to take up writer's residency withGateshead Libraries and Arts.6 June 1987: TIGHT CORNERS - first collection of poetry & prose published byPortcullis Press6th February 1992 : DREAM ON - first feature film - premiered at Odeon,Newcastle upon Tyne 31st October 1992 - DREAM ON wins Best Networked Television Programmeat Royal Television Society - North East - awards24th June 1993 - first radio play - Grandma & Mrs Chatterjee produced by BBCRadio 4 - dir. Kate Rowland4th October 1993 FOX - First theatre play - produced by Durham Theatre Co.dir. Cliff Burnett16th June 1994: first collection of Poetry - For Crying Out Loud - published- jointly with Valerie Laws, by IRON Press.
PANURGE Short Story Magazine
David Almond was Editor 1987-1993 and John Murray was Editor before him and after. A much missed magazine.
DAVID ALMOND Novelist, Writer.
David Almond's first novel for children, Skellig, won the Whitbread Children's Book of the Year and the Carnegie Medal, and his second, Kit's Wilderness, won the Smarties Award Silver Medal, was Highly Commended for the Carnegie Medal, and shortlisted for the Guardian Award. His latest, Heaven's Eyes is also very successful. "Writing can be difficult, but sometimes it really does feel like a kind of magic. I think that stories are living things - among the most important things in the world." His favourite subject at school was football. (He still hopes he'll get a call from Bobby Robson asking him to play for Newcastle). His ambition is to see Newcastle win the FA Cup. David's books include: SkelligKit's WildernessHeaven Eyes




VALERIE LAWS Poet, Editor.
Writer of poems on the backs of sheep, Editor of 'Star Trek: The Poems (Iron Press)
Collections include 'For Crying Out Loud' (with Kitty Fitzgerald) and 'Moonbathing' (Peterloo). An inventive and dark humoured poet.

DAVID STEPHENSON
Long Standing assistant Editor of Iron. Editor of a number of Iron Press books including Editor of Bay Press which published amongst others Brendan Cleary (Sad Movies) and Andrew Waterhouse (Needfire).Currently working in education and co-editing a Writer’s handbook on the Short Story for Durham County Council with Peter Mortimer and Kitty Fitzgerald.

ANDREW WATERHOUSE
The poet, musician and environmentalist Andrew Waterhouse M.A.,M.Sc. ended his own life on October 20th 2001. He was a winner of the Forward Best first collection prize.His first poems appeared in Poetry Nottingham in 1984. He did the M.A. in Creative Writing at Nortumbria in Newcastle. He was a talented writer and musician whose loss cannot be measured. Books Need Fire (Bay Press), In (Rialto) and Good news From a Small Island (Midnag). #I have placed him here randomly because he appears with the singer songwriter Stella Davies in Peter Mortimer's book 100 days on Holy Island. I would say he fits no clique and fitted none in his lifetime.