The Battered Suitcase

This press release just arrived in my mailbox:

NEW LITERARY MAGAZINE WITH INDIE SENSIBILITIES

The Battered Suitcase Launches, focusing on the collective narrative

United States/United Kingdom, May 11, 2008—The Battered Suitcase, a literary magazine with an independent DIY ethos, will launch its inaugural issue on June 1, 2008. Publisher Vagabondage Press, consisting of writers and artists in the UK and the US, responds with an alternative to the current populist trend of treating art as commodity and the mainstream publishing industry's tendency to pigeonhole authors and their work into literary ghettos. Their flagship publication - The Battered Suitcase - will be going live online on June 1st, 2008 at
http://www.vagabondagepress.com

In the premiere issue, columnist Louise Beech serves a slice of life with no side-orders of redemption and Leslie Braley reveals that there really are just no good men of any shade to be found in the city. Chris Miller flirts with the compelling allure of self-annihilation, and J.P. Devlin examines the unique power of human connection to change the course of a shattered life.

No stranger to the DIY ethos himself, musician Adam Ficek offers lyrical poetry from his own DIY project—Roses Kings Castles, an acoustic, folksy alternative to his usual role as drummer for the UK indie band Babyshambles.

In keeping with the spirit of enriching the collective narrative through verse, contributors include artist and poet Peter Schwartz, whose work tickles a sly, knowing chuckle at the human condition. Other contributing poets include Stefanie Maclin, David MacLean and the 2005 winner of Radio-Canada’s "Young Artists" award, Lucinda Tang.

Art contributions include the vivid marine abstracts of Jim Fuess, the sweet and sinister portraits of Kelly Haigh, outsider art by Dario Molinaro and the digital stylings of new artist Jenn Anderson.

The Battered Suitcase will return monthly to provide a forum for writers and artists, both new and established, that allows them the freedom to take risks, to offer unusual viewpoints and unique perspectives. Each issue will feature a selection of fiction, poetry, art, narrative non-fiction and musical lyrics that might not fit so neatly into the narrow, sharp-cornered boxes of the mainstream and literary worlds.

The name, "Vagabondage Press", evokes the freedom and cheery aimlessness of the seanachies and story-tellers of bygone eras. "The Battered Suitcase" holds everything we take on the journey and all the trinkets and trifles, anecdotes and wisdoms, we collect along the way.

The Battered Suitcase is devoted to fiction and non-fiction that examines life in all its ambiguity, grittiness, glory and despair and is dedicated to promoting work that explores the complexity of the human psyche, vulnerability, ambiguity, wit, restlessness, and sensuality—the moments that veer between the ordinary and the fantastic—the ingredients that go into creating each unique voice in the collective chorus.

For more information, please contact:

Fawn Neun,
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
info@vagabondagepress.com
http://www.vagabondagepress.com
http://www.myspace.com/thebatteredsuitcase