Welcome to Offa’s Press
Offa’s Press is dedicated to publishing and promoting the best in contemporary West Midland poetry and poets. It will do this through a series of publications and performances where the watchword will be ‘good on the page and good on stage’.
Offa’s Press is eclectic in range. It receives some development funding from Arts Council England and is run as a co-operative by a number of regional writers and poets with Simon Fletcher the Editor / Manager.
For information about current submissions please go to the submissions page for further details. Please browse this website for further news and events and please support Offa’s Press by buying its products and attending events.
‘It’s Honorary, Bab’ short-listed for Rubery!
Congratulations to Emma Purshouse for the short-listing of ‘It’s Honorary, Bab’ in this year’s Rubery International prize. The prize, which encourages entries from smaller and independent presses, is growing in prestige by the year so this is a feather in Emma’s cap!
Offa’s Titles are Recommended Reading
Offa’s Press is delighted to announce that two of our titles ‘A Wonder Woman’ by Kuli Kohli and ‘New Voices’, edited by Simon Fletcher, have been selected as Recommended Reading by West Midlands’ libraries through the Poetry on Loan scheme.
“This is wonderful news for all concerned and will mean that these titles will be on the shelves of every library authority in the region involved with Poetry on Loan. Very pleasing!” commented Simon Fletcher, Offa’s manager.
Poets on Loan
Jane Seabourne and Jeff Phelps have been selected by ‘Poetry on Loan’ (ACE-funded) as ‘postcard poets’ in West Midlands’ libraries for 2022-24.
“This is great news and will be a wonderful show-case for Offa’s Press and the poets themselves,” commented manager Simon Fletcher.
New Titles Available Now
The Taste of Rain
by Cherry Doyle
Away with the Birds
edited by Simon Fletcher and Kuli Kohli
Falling and Flying
by Jeff Phelps
Earth Walker
by Ros Woolner
Emma Purshouse talks to the Black Country Arts Foundry about editing The Poetry of the Black Country.
Read the interview here…
Emma Purshouse interviews Win Saha
Read the interview here…
The view from Offa’s Dyke, photo by Dave Finchett.
Why the name Offa’s Press?
Offa was king of the Mercians back in the late 8th century and forged what we call the West Midlands from his power-base at Tamworth. He ruled over much of England and was known as Rex Anglorum or king of the English. Offa’s Dyke he had built as a border with the Welsh. Offa was also an internationalist having friendly ties to the French king Charlemagne.
