Hamish Ironside

Off the Beaten Track presents new work by twelve writers taking part in a unique collaborative project: each of them was invited to compose one haiku per day for a month, thus contributing towards the total of 365 haiku for a full calendar year. Half of the authors are widely published writers of haiku, while the other half are almost (or entirely) new to the form. This situates the collection within the tradition of English-language haiku, while also seeking to extend its boundaries through the inclusion of ‘outsiders’ with respect to that tradition. Complementing the haiku are original illustrations by twelve artists, making the volume as visually striking as it is thought-provoking and diverse.

Increasingly, as we come to terms with what a cesspit the internet really is, there has been a revival of interest in various artefacts once thought obsolete: vinyl records, analogue photography … and zines. With some zines from the punk era now selling for hundreds of pounds on eBay, and the study of zines a burgeoning field of academic interest, We Peaked at Paper appears at a propitious time. The book consists of twenty interviews with current and former editors of zines. Authors Hogg and Ironside travelled across Britain to carry out the interviews face to face over a period of five years. They sought to examine the widest possible range of publications, from the science fiction zines of the 1930s to a zine begun by a ten-year-old editor during the Covid pandemic. This is a volume that celebrates amateurism, and will be cherished by those who favour the local over the global, the home-made over the mass-produced, and Melody Dog over Taylor Swift. After achieving a cult following on its hardback publication in 2022, it is now available in paperback for the first time. In the words of Peter Doherty: ‘A great read – it had me reaching for my Stanley knife and glue!’