Times Online January 17, 2007
Small press funding
Sir, – For months I have awaited (along with the entire small press world) the
annual call for submissions for the Raymond Williams Prize (£3,000 to the
winners, £2,000 to the runner-up). I was phoned recently by Adrian Johnson,
Literature Officer for Arts Council England (ACE) West Midlands, who passed on
his new year greetings and let me know the Prize is no more.
After the 2005 award, ACE let it be known that they were dissatisfied with
the way the prize was administered: rather odd, as it was run by their own
central Literature Department, headed by Gary McKeone. I learned that Tim
Diggles, national co-ordinator of the Federation of Worker Writers and Community
Publishers (the “Fed”), had been approached with the idea that they would
administer the prize. This was an idea universally supported by small
publishers. What no one was told was that the £5,000 annual prize money had been
entirely taken away by ACE and it would be a paper prize only.
Mr Johnson told me that this was one of the cuts which encompassed the
sacking of McKeone. There will be no 2006 award and no award ever again unless
the Fed puts in for a “one-off project grant”, and Johnson underlined that in no
way could the prize money be restored as this would be contrary to current ACE
practice. Unsurprisingly, neither the Fed nor any other organization appears to
be interested.
There was a time when ACE generously supported poets through grants to dozens of small presses. How many do they support now? Enitharmon, Salt, Carcanet, Peterloo (but only after Gary McKeone intervened and U. A. Fanthorpe campaigned), Arc and Anvil.
Last year ACE “disinvested” Survivors’ Poetry and dozens more RFOs (regularly
funded organizations, including Peterloo Press), and sacked McKeone; we all
fulminated. Jackie Kay, ACE’s Literary Adviser, resigned in protest. Good on
her, my Yorkshire spirit declares, but what can the rest of us do? Ask Tessa
Jowell to “reconfigure” ACE or perhaps let the Lottery Fund take them over as
they do give grants to small presses?
Chris Frayling (Chair of ACE) is a 60s man, and ought to know what he is about.
Kim Evans (Director of Arts) has always replied to me with warmth and courtesy.
How do they feel about all this? Am I missing something?
BARRY TEBB
89 Connaught Road, Sutton, Surrey.