ERASURES at STANZA, Scotland 12 March 2022

Once upon a StAnza… Stories and narrative have long had an important role to play in our making sense of what it means to be human  and to live in our communities and environment, and in negotiating how this might alternatively look. StAnza, Scotland’s International Poetry Festival, 2022 (7-14 March) will focus on ‘Stories like starting points’, exploring the opportunities and the pitfalls of stories, ranging over narrative poetry, prose poetry, re-writing old stories and imagining new ones, reportage, process / chance narratives, myth /epic.

The festival brings together a superb line-up and I feel so excited to be part of the journey on Saturday 12 March at 2pm. Will be performing and discussing the ethics of writing about difficult narratives with Alice Hillier and Annemarie ni Chuirrean.

ERASURES will take place live at the Byre Theatre Auditorium, Sat. 12 March 2022, 2pm-3.30pm, and will also be broadcasted online via zoom.

For information, details and tickets to the live event at the Byre Theatre Auditorium, please access the link: ERASURES: What we cannot say and how we say it. (The Byre Theatre)

For information, details and tickets to the online event, on zoom, please access the link: ERASURES: What we cannot say and how we say it (online).

The discussion will focus on emotive and difficult themes, and will explore the techniques and approaches when finding words for things that can’t easily be said. Through use of hand-erasure techniques in bird of winter, Alice Hiller discovers transient holding places for the darkness of being groomed and sexually abused in childhood. Maria Stadnicka’s Buried Gods Metal Prophets is a poetic documentary exploring the lived experiences of children in care during the Romanian communist dictatorship which ended in 1989. Annemarie ni Chuirrean will join from Ireland via Zoom to read from and speak about The Poison Glen, a collection at whose heart sits the story of the stolen or missing child, including work responding to a long-gone Foundling Hospital in Dublin and bearing witness to family loss and cultures of silence in Ireland.

Thank you, StAnza 2022!

Rob A. Mackenzie reviews ‘Buried Gods Metal Prophets’ for Magma

Review published in Magma No. 81 ‘Anthropocene’ 2021.

From The Telegraph, November 2021

Buried Gods Metal Prophets (2021) is published by the Guillemot Press, edited by Luke Thompson and Sarah Cave, illustrations and design: Antonia Glücksman. The book is available here.

‘Domestication’ for Printed Poetry Symposium, Centre for Print Research UWE Bristol, 14 Oct 2021

‘Domestication’ Maria Stadnicka and Andrew Morrison, October 2021

For Printed Poetry Symposium Andrew Morrison and Maria Stadnicka have documented the process of making a collaborative print – a dialogue between poet (who also draws) and letterpress artist (who also writes). The poem reaches towards appropriate visual form as letterpress variations are passed between the two. Maria and Andrew have worked together on a number of projects involving written/spoken word and visual arts; most recently Andrew’s letterpress collages made in response to Maria’s poems from Buried Gods Metal Prophets (Guillemot Press, 2021).

Printed Poetry Symposium is organised by Angie Butler for the Centre for Print Research, UWE, Bristol. and takes place on Thursday, 14th October 2021, 2pm at Arnolfini, Bristol.

The event includes talks by: Nancy Campbell, Johanna Darque (Small Press), Antony Dunn (the People Powered Press), Leonard McDermid, Andrew Morrison, Maria Stadnicka, Ndukwe Onuoha, Pat Randle, and Barrie Tullett. Tickets are available here.

© Maria Stadnicka, October 2021.

Domestication. Fragment

Short clip from the video ‘Domestication’ © Andrew Morrison and Maria Stadnicka, 2021

This is a fragment from ‘Domestication’ created by Andrew Morrison and Maria Stadnicka. The video follows the poem ‘Domestication’ (© Stadnicka, 2021) and it is a reflection on how the notions of work, writing and collaboration have changed during the lockdown in the UK, following the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

‘Domestication’ was produced for the Printed Poetry Project, organised by Angie Butler for the Centre for Print Research, UWE, Bristol.

The video and discussion will feature on Thursday, 14th October 2021, 2pm at the Printed Poetry Symposium, Arnolfini, Bristol.

The symposium will include talks by: Nancy Campbell, Johanna Darque (Small Press), Antony Dunn (the People Powered Press), Leonard McDermid, Andrew Morrison, Maria Stadnicka, Ndukwe Onuoha, Pat Randle, and Barrie Tullett. Tickets are available here.

© Maria Stadnicka, September 2021.

Andrew Morrison exhibits at TU : PLEI / 20-25 JULY

Andrew Morrison is a book artist, letterpress printer and poet who makes hand-made, limited edition books. His work is in many national collections including The British Library, the Tate, the Southbank and British Council special collections. He has lectured widely in the UK, most recently at the University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham.

Andrew creates books about finding the mysterious in the everyday, human relationships, memory, misunderstandings, printing itself, process books, sequences. His creative process can focus on sequences of images and found things; the connection between a book and a reader; the minute and the oversize.

His workshop is currently based near Cirencester, Gloucestershire. Further information about his work can be accessed at www.andrewmorrisonbooks.uk 

You can follow Andrew’s art and projects on Instagram at andrewmorrisonbooks.

Further information can be accessed on his website: http://www.andrewmorrisonbooks.uk.


Exhibiting artists:

Antonia Glücksman

Zoe Heath

Hannah Mathison

Andrew Morrison

CF Sherratt

John Stadnicki

TU : PLEI is an invitation to engage with the ludic self then to share the experience with others.

TU : PLEI is an art exhibition which brings together drawing, painting, photography, collage, prints, sculpture, installation and montage from artists with a perceptive and individual interpretation on contemporary playfulness.

The exhibition TU : PLEI will be open 20-25 July 2021 at Stroud Brewery, 9am-5pm.

While writing Buried Gods Metal Prophets I often looked back at my childhood games and wondered what they meant then, whether time has given them a different meaning or not. It might have. But surely when the Guillemot Press editors worked on the manuscript, there were moments when my siblings’ chasing in the backyard or ‘soldier-soldier’-game felt untouched and sacred. Precious and private.

At first, sacred to me, later just sweet reminders that childhood play and joy are universal experiences. A child’s laughter and falls and bruises and tears have a collective ‘sameness’ yet our experiences give them unique meaning. A bit like different interpretations of what ‘freedom’ and ‘enjoyment’ are all about. A bit like what being human is all about. After all, war and tragedy, love and disappointment, growth, learning, failure and success are human experiences that repeat themselves despite topological or temporal differences.

Alongside the artwork, I will be reading from Buried Gods Metal Prophets on Thursday 22nd July 6pm. FREE entry! All welcome!

‘Buried Gods Metal Prophets’ 2021

Buried Gods Metal Prophets is published by the Guillemot Press, edited by Luke Thompson and Sarah Cave.

Illustrations and design: Antonia Glücksman.

The book is available here.

© Maria Stadnicka, July 2021

Hannah Mathison exhibits at TU : PLEI / 20-25 JULY

© Hannah Mathison: ‘Headspace’

Hannah Mathison whose roots have been in the Cotswolds since the age of three, has been a decorator, gardener and groom, amongst other things, over the years.

She gained a first class honours degree in Fine Art Sculpture in 1997, prior to bringing up a family. This gave her the chance to explore and develop her creativity, which continued to find its way into the spaces in her everyday life – it still does.

Today, as she finds herself in the cut and thrust of an office environment, something she never envisaged for herself, her creativity has become more important than ever.

Talking about her creative process, Hannah says:

“Spending time in my shed reconnects me to my creative self. Wherever I go I collect objects that intrigue or inspire me. I take them home where they wait patiently to be cast in their roles in a new narrative.

The transformation of these objects comes from a quiet but vital part of me that can’t always be heard over the hubbub of the everyday.

The finished pieces are all unique and are made in reaction to my thought processes at the time” (July, 2021).

You can follow Hannah’s work and project on Instagram at hannahccmathison.


Exhibiting artists:

Antonia Glücksman

Zoe Heath

Hannah Mathison

Andrew Morrison

CF Sherratt

John Stadnicki

TU : PLEI is an invitation to engage with the ludic self then to share the experience with others.

TU : PLEI is an art exhibition which brings together drawing, painting, photography, collage, prints, sculpture, installation and montage from artists with a perceptive and individual interpretation on contemporary playfulness.

The exhibition TU : PLEI will be open 20-25 July 2021 at Stroud Brewery, 9am-5pm.

While writing Buried Gods Metal Prophets I often looked back at my childhood games and wondered what they meant then, whether time has given them a different meaning or not. It might have. But surely when the Guillemot Press editors worked on the manuscript, there were moments when my siblings’ chasing in the backyard or ‘soldier-soldier’-game felt untouched and sacred. Precious and private.

At first, sacred to me, later just sweet reminders that childhood play and joy are universal experiences. A child’s laughter and falls and bruises and tears have a collective ‘sameness’ yet our experiences give them unique meaning. A bit like different interpretations of what ‘freedom’ and ‘enjoyment’ are all about. A bit like what being human is all about. After all, war and tragedy, love and disappointment, growth, learning, failure and success are human experiences that repeat themselves despite topological or temporal differences.

Alongside the artwork, I will be reading from Buried Gods Metal Prophets on Thursday 22nd July 6pm. FREE entry! All welcome!

‘Buried Gods Metal Prophets’ 2021

Buried Gods Metal Prophets is published by the Guillemot Press, edited by Luke Thompson and Sarah Cave.

Illustrations and design: Antonia Glücksman.

The book is available here.

© Maria Stadnicka, July 2021

C F SHERRATT exhibits at TU : PLEI / 20-25 JULY

C F Sherratt is a multidisciplinary artist based in Bristol. His work has spanned from fine art practice to commercial illustration, animation and video, as well as musical and sound-based work. After completing an MA in Authorial Illustration at Falmouth University in 2015, he has worked for clients all over the world, received awards and featured in solo and group shows displaying his work.


Talking about what he has planned for TU : PLEI, C F Sherratt says:

The drawing I am showing in TU : PLEI is an experimental drawing which shares some themes visually with previous work, but was made using a process which was new to me, inspired by work I’ve done in the past which involves generative processes, often to create text, I allowed people to anonymously contribute to the work in the form of a short phrase, an image, a subject. I didn’t share the process during any of these interactions, so that the contributors wouldn’t know how their idea would be used or incorporated. All this I did as an act of mischief, an element of play which I have always admired in the art of others, a bit like the exquisite corpse, but resulting in a work with more visual continuity.

The other work I’ll be showing has a clear visual through-line, but was made prior to the exhibition’s conception. There is, however, certainly an element of play to the processes I often use to make my work. Like how children draw before they’re ‘taught’ to make art, I don’t tend to make preparatory sketches, look at a reference image or look at a subject. I admire the work of artists like Brecht Evens and Anna Bhushan, who go into the blank drawing page and start to make a drawing with the final materials, with no preconceptions, allowing the hand to ‘find’ the drawing.

Exhibiting artists:

Antonia Glücksman

Zoe Heath

Hannah Mathison

Andrew Morrison

CF Sherratt

John Stadnicki

TU : PLEI is an invitation to engage with the ludic self then to share the experience with others.

TU : PLEI is an art exhibition which brings together drawing, painting, photography, collage, prints, sculpture, installation and montage from artists with a perceptive and individual interpretation on contemporary playfulness.

The exhibition TU : PLEI will be open 20-25 July 2021 at Stroud Brewery, 9am-5pm.

While writing Buried Gods Metal Prophets I often looked back at my childhood games and wondered what they meant then, whether time has given them a different meaning or not. It might have. But surely when the Guillemot Press editors worked on the manuscript, there were moments when my siblings’ chasing in the backyard or ‘soldier-soldier’-game felt untouched and sacred. Precious and private.

At first, sacred to me, later just sweet reminders that childhood play and joy are universal experiences. A child’s laughter and falls and bruises and tears have a collective ‘sameness’ yet our experiences give them unique meaning. A bit like different interpretations of what ‘freedom’ and ‘enjoyment’ are all about. A bit like what being human is all about. After all, war and tragedy, love and disappointment, growth, learning, failure and success are human experiences that repeat themselves despite topological or temporal differences.

Alongside the artwork, I will be reading from Buried Gods Metal Prophets on Thursday 22nd July 6pm. FREE entry! All welcome!

‘Buried Gods Metal Prophets’ 2021

Buried Gods Metal Prophets is published by the Guillemot Press, edited by Luke Thompson and Sarah Cave.

Illustrations and design: Antonia Glücksman.

The book is available here.

© Maria Stadnicka, July 2021

Zoë Heath exhibits at TU : PLEI / 20-25 JULY

Zoë Heath in her SVA studio.

Zoë Heath is an artist based in Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK.

Her process leads her to collecting and archiving marks, traces and ephemera, recording them, documenting them and de-constructing the shapes they form.

Reflecting on the creation of a piece of work, Zoë says: “I have no idea or pre-conceptions as to how a piece will look when finished. I enjoy and indulge in this process. Collage, paintings and prints evolve and ideas emerge as I am working. I choose to work across several pieces at the same time, always looking to achieve that moment of serendipity when I find that a piece is finished” (July, 2021).

You can follow Zoë’s art and projects on Instagram at zoeheath_artist.

Further information can be accessed on her website: http://www.zoeheath.co.uk

Zoë Heath’s SVA studio

Exhibiting artists:

Antonia Glücksman

Zoe Heath

Hannah Mathison

Andrew Morrison

CF Sherratt

John Stadnicki

TU : PLEI is an invitation to engage with the ludic self then to share the experience with others.

TU : PLEI is an art exhibition which brings together drawing, painting, photography, collage, prints, sculpture, installation and montage from artists with a perceptive and individual interpretation on contemporary playfulness.

The exhibition TU : PLEI will be open 20-25 July 2021 at Stroud Brewery, 9am-5pm.

While writing Buried Gods Metal Prophets I often looked back at my childhood games and wondered what they meant then, whether time has given them a different meaning or not. It might have. But surely when the Guillemot Press editors worked on the manuscript, there were moments when my siblings’ chasing in the backyard or ‘soldier-soldier’-game felt untouched and sacred. Precious and private.

At first, sacred to me, later just sweet reminders that childhood play and joy are universal experiences. A child’s laughter and falls and bruises and tears have a collective ‘sameness’ yet our experiences give them unique meaning. A bit like different interpretations of what ‘freedom’ and ‘enjoyment’ are all about. A bit like what being human is all about. After all, war and tragedy, love and disappointment, growth, learning, failure and success are human experiences that repeat themselves despite topological or temporal differences.

Alongside the artwork, I will be reading from Buried Gods Metal Prophets on Thursday 22nd July 6pm. FREE entry! All welcome!

‘Buried Gods Metal Prophets’ 2021

Buried Gods Metal Prophets is published by the Guillemot Press, edited by Luke Thompson and Sarah Cave.

Illustrations and design: Antonia Glücksman.

The book is available here.

© Maria Stadnicka, July 2021

Antonia Glücksman exhibits at TU : PLEI / 20-25 JULY

Antonia Glücksman, 2021

Antonia Glücksman is a German-Canadian designer, writer and illustrator based in Cornwall, UK.

Her work is research-led, often drawing on archival sources and collective memory to reveal the hidden poetry in mundane objects and everyday surroundings. Using drawing, collage and photographic processes, she aims to create books that are haptic and visual landscapes for the text to inhabit.

Antonia has illustrated and designed the Guillemot titles Words for Worlds Upended and Buried Gods Metal Prophets as well as the cover for Lucy Burnett’s One Step Sideways and 13 Down.

More of her work can be seen on her website here.


Exhibiting artists:

Antonia Glücksman

Zoe Heath

Hannah Mathison

Andrew Morrison

CF Sherratt

John Stadnicki

TU : PLEI is an invitation to engage with the ludic self then to share the experience with others.

TU : PLEI is an art exhibition which brings together drawing, painting, photography, collage, prints, sculpture, installation and montage from artists with a perceptive and individual interpretation on contemporary playfulness.

The exhibition TU : PLEI will be open 20-25 July 2021 at Stroud Brewery, 9am-5pm.

While writing Buried Gods Metal Prophets I often looked back at my childhood games and wondered what they meant then, whether time has given them a different meaning or not. It might have. But surely when the Guillemot Press editors worked on the manuscript, there were moments when my siblings’ chasing in the backyard or ‘soldier-soldier’-game felt untouched and sacred. Precious and private.

At first, sacred to me, later just sweet reminders that childhood play and joy are universal experiences. A child’s laughter and falls and bruises and tears have a collective ‘sameness’ yet our experiences give them unique meaning. A bit like different interpretations of what ‘freedom’ and ‘enjoyment’ are all about. A bit like what being human is all about. After all, war and tragedy, love and disappointment, growth, learning, failure and success are human experiences that repeat themselves despite topological or temporal differences.

Alongside the artwork, I will be reading from Buried Gods Metal Prophets on Thursday 22nd July 6pm. FREE entry! All welcome!

‘Buried Gods Metal Prophets’ 2021

Buried Gods Metal Prophets is published by the Guillemot Press, edited by Luke Thompson and Sarah Cave.

Illustrations and design: Antonia Glücksman.

The book is available here.

© Maria Stadnicka, July 2021

TU-PLEI / ART EXHIBITION / 20-25 JULY

Image © Antonia Glücksman, Design © Andrew Morrison

Exhibiting artists: Antonia Glücksman, Zoe Heath, Hannah Mathison, Andrew Morrison, CF Sherratt, John Stadnicki.

The exhibition will be open 20-25 July 2021 at Stroud Brewery.

TU-PLEI is an invitation to engage with the ludic self then to share the experience with others.

TU-PLEI is an art exhibition which brings together drawing, painting, photography, collage, prints, sculpture, installation and montage from artists with a perceptive and individual interpretation on contemporary playfulness.

While writing Buried Gods Metal Prophets I often looked back at my childhood games and wondered what they meant then, whether time has given them a different meaning or not. It might have. But surely when the Guillemot Press editors worked on the manuscript, there were moments when my siblings’ chasing in the backyard or ‘soldier-soldier’-game felt untouched and sacred. Precious and private.

At first, sacred to me, later just sweet reminders that childhood play and joy are universal experiences. A child’s laughter and falls and bruises and tears have a collective ‘sameness’ yet our experiences give them unique meaning. A bit like different interpretations of what ‘freedom’ and ‘enjoyment’ are all about. A bit like what being human is all about. After all, war and tragedy, love and disappointment, growth, learning, failure and success are human experiences that repeat themselves despite topological or temporal differences.

Alongside the artwork, I will be reading from Buried Gods Metal Prophets on Thursday 22nd July 6pm. FREE entry! All welcome!

‘Buried Gods Metal Prophets’ 2021

Buried Gods Metal Prophets published by the Guillemot Press, edited by Luke Thompson and Sarah Cave and illustrated by Antonia Glücksman is available here.