#IBuyYourPamphlet: WEEK 8

Paper and Ink #17: ‘We Are All Going To Die’
by Scumbag Press

Don’t tell me to smile / When it is because of you that / So many are / Struggling to survive…

Scumbag Press is the brainchild of Martin Appleby, who has a prestigious history of producing zines and chapbooks under the Paper and Ink ‘umbrella’. This zine however was a while in the production: 10 chapbooks were released first between issue 16 and 17, all limited to 30 copies, which were completely hand made.

Appleby has presented something truly unique here: it’s not just poetry either, but a carefully curated selection of short stories and artwork. Both layout and production values put a number of indy presses to shame, too. It’s a rare and beautiful thing, absolutely packed with quality from cover to cover.

What’s in it for Me?

There’s an ironic aside I saw many creatives allude to around what there was time to do during COVID Lockdowns: Appleby created a DIY press, with bespoke, carefully approached production standards, which is a very fortunate thing for me as a reader. The attention to detail in this Zine is exceptional, and the quality is beyond impressive. Many conventional publishers would struggle to produce work of comparable quality.

It’s also literally impossible to pick favourites from this selection, so I’m gonna take the coward’s way out and cite three favourites below before acknowledging everyone involved as equally worthy of your time and perusal. You will find poetry, prose and short stories here from the following people; Carson Pytell, Joseph Ridgwell, Kieron Higgins, Preacher Allgood, Jack Moody, Danny Koslowski, Nicole Morning, Patty O’Gravel, Melissa Taylor, Kirsty Allison, Molly Glinski, Funkhauser, Bradford Middleton, Tohm Bakelas, Dave Cullern, Jacob Ian DeCoursey, Claire Richardson, Ben Newell, John Dorsey, Victor Clevenger, Ford Dagenham, Clay Hunt, Jono Coote, Pete Donohue, John D. Robinson, Aqeel Parvaz, Luke Young, Joseph Fulkerson, George Schaefer, Jason Gerrish, Cody Taylor, Danny D. Ford, Mallory Smart, Aleathia Drehmer and Mika.

Honestly, if you’re looking for entertainment and value for money, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything as good as this to fill a couple of cold, Winter evenings. It’s a testament to the school of DIY Publishing, and proves just what’s possible if you’re prepared to put in time, effort and creative savoir faire. I have massive respect for Martin’s approach to this, and I’ve learnt a lot from it, not just as a poet. EVERY DAY IS A SCHOOL DAY, KIDS.

Personal Favourites

The Allomoner’s Nest [Kirsty Allison] for the imagery
Hopelessly Devoted [Claire Richardson] for the inference
Simple Eddie [Pete Donohue] for the impact

Any Other Business

There are a fantastic number of Indy Publishers, both physical and virtual, who are out there looking for work right now, and if you’re beginning a journey into poetry you could do a lot worse than take a chance and submit your own work. Or, you could do what Martin Appleby has done and start your own. The thirst for physical work and not just digital submissions is not likely to diminish any time soon.

With production quality this strong and contents of an even higher calibre, this Pen and Ink Zine is a masterpiece, an object lesson in how to present work then make it unputdownable. Go make this a sell out, you won’t regret it.