It's a mad idea we’re working on with the Black Country novelist and poet, Wayne Dean-Richards. Good ideas, I am full of them, but this is all Wayne!
We've featured Wayne a number of times - his microfiction throughout last year was an incredible joy and balm. Wayne also participated significantly to December's A Bunch of Five series (here).
Wayne has sent over 18 poems for us to publish. He says that they can be read in one sitting, in your lunch break, or maybe even on your way to work if you take public transport. You’ll know when you have time.
Wayne’s collection is called, ‘It’s a Mad World But Funny.’ He says that this is because one of the things that are still - perhaps increasingly - funny about this mad world is how seriously it's taken.
We’re publishing the poems in little batches. We’re allowed. Wayne recommended it, “I thought that'd suit you because when you published some of my micro fiction; that's how you elected to do it; I thought you'd favour doing it the same way because readers would like the comfort that comes with recognition of the familiar and it would encourage them to revisit Outsidleft.”
When we have completed the series, Wayne plans for us to release the collection as a completely free, downloadable PDF. This is thrilling for us. He said: “A downloadable PDF at the end of the series is meant to encourage readers to come back to Outsideleft to get a download of the collection because reading that way feels different.” I agree. That’s sort of what made our scuttled plan to print a yearly Hardy Annual collection of our favourite bits so germane.
Finally in addition to Wayne’s free downloadable PDF, I suggested that we might create an A6 - a favourite size, not for profit, although not for loss either, chapbook type of thing, with a few more aesthetic design considerations… But why I wondered, bother? Too late, Wayne is up for it. “The chapbook with design considerations is the same as the PDF in many ways - but for a different audience. I first read Neil Campbell's short story from his latest collection in Outsideleft, but now have a copy of Licenced Premises. (I didn't buy it, but would have: the star that he is Neil sent me a signed copy because he knows I'm a fan of his work and have bought all the other stuff.)” That story was The Last Bookseller and you can read it here.
Outsideleft will begin publishing the ‘It’s a Mad World But Funny’ poems on Thursday, February 23rd.
Essential Info
The 18 poems comprising Wayne Dean-Richards' IT'S A MAD WORLD BUT FUNNY series are listed below. Outsideleft will be publishing them all throughout the spring of 2023. A free downloadable PDF and a limited edition A6 chapbook (for neither profit or loss) of these poems will be available at the end. But not till then.
Wayne Dean Richards A Bunch of Five at Outsideleft
Wayne Dean Richards Microfiction begins here: To Me
