Issue 45 of Scarecrow magazine is an Offbeat Generation special including prose and poetry from (in order of appearance) Tony O’Neill, Noah Cicero, Adelle Stripe, Donari Braxton, Heidi James, Stewart Home, Peter Wild, Matthew Coleman, Paul Ewen, HP Tinker, Joseph Ridgwell, Rik Haslam, Steve Vermillion, Michael Keenaghan, Scarecrow editor Lee Rourke, Robert Woodard, Judson Hamilton, Travis Jeppesen and myself.
You’ll also find an interview with Ben Myers: “‘Brutalism’ doesn’t mean the writing or subject matter is neccessarily brutal, but our attitude and endeavours to get noticed are. The Brutalists as a collective of writers is closely aligned - or a sub-division of - The OffBeat Generation, another term applied to a bunch of disparate writers that include ourselves, Matthew Coleman, the chaps at 3:AM, Joseph Ridgewell, Paul Ewen, Heidi James and some shady fella called Lee Rourke - plus countless other excellent writers”. Another revealing extract: “This new generation of writers write like they’ve plugged into the mains. They’re punks, basically, but with pens instead of guitars. They’re all doing it for the right reasons: to preserve their sanity. To sidestep the tawdry aspects of modern culture. To feel alive where most people stagger around in nullified torpor”.
And then, there’s Mr Rouke’s excellent editorial-cum-manifesto, which begins thus: “If you’d have asked me one year ago if a literary scene existed and was alive and most definitely kicking in London, or New York, or California . . . anywhere, I’d have laughed at the very thought”.
We are getting closer…
First posted: Monday, March 19th, 2007.
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excellent!!! time to take on the mainstream hacks!!!
/ Posted by karen welsh on March 20th, 2007 at 2:09 pm / Permalink /Yeah, and kick the cunts in the cocks!
/ Posted by Mac Jackson on March 20th, 2007 at 8:19 pm / Permalink /