Between These Shores Literary & Arts Annual

18/05/2024

02/10/2023

I’ve been following, with ever-greater concern, the story of how Artificial Intelligence has slithered into our culture and taken hold. This week brings particularly alarming news.

If you had told me, fifty years ago, when I published my first book (the year was 1973; I was 19) that the day would come when books might be written by anybody without blood pumping through her veins, or a beating heart, I would have said you were crazy. But that day has come.

As many of you may know, the growing sophistication of AI techonology now allows for programs designed to replicate the voice, style, sentence structure and vocabulary of known published writers. This week came the news—thanks to research conducted by The Atlantic Magazine—that the books of hundreds , possibly thousands of writers have been scanned for the purpose of feeding the AI database in such a way that it is now possible to replicate a novel by Stephen King, or Michael Chabon, or Louise Erdrich…without any of those writers’ involvement in any way.

Or a novel by Joyce Maynard.

A search revealed yesterday that seven of my books have been scanned—illegally, without procuring rights—into an AI database for the purpose of creating AI simulations of my voice.

The Authors’ Guild, of which I am a member, is pursuing legal action, as is a consortium of writers.

Meanwhile, you can google “AI assistance for writers” and find dozens of platforms promising to make it possible for aspiring writers to create books , without the need of all those pesky skills like grammar, sensitivity to style, rhythm, language, tone or an understanding of dialogue. The technology can take care of all that. Leaving patrons of the AI assistance sites free to concern themselves with nothing more than typing in their ideas and no doubt offering up a charge card number.

I do not need to tell you how I feel about this. It’s nothing less than the death of art. My parents, who raised my sister and me on the literature of the Western canon, would die, themselves, if they weren’t long dead already.

There is so much more to be said about all of this, but I’ve got a day filled with writing ahead of me. Real writing. Not typing instructions into an AI site. I’m talking about what I’ve been doing for fifty years now, getting up at five am and putting in long days at my desk, considering every syllable, every sentence, the placement of every comma and period, the sound of the words I choose. ( Reading them out loud , alone at my desk, to hear how they sound.)

There will be those who offer up all kinds of reasons why AI can be a good thing for us all. Have at it. In the world of art and music and literature, it can mean only one thing: The eradication of what is uniquely human in each of us. The death of what is most precious and beautiful, the soul and spirit with which we were born. That is irreplaceable.

14/08/2023

The art of poetry goes back millennia, addressing the same subjects and emotions treated by today’s poets.

Here is a poem by Sappho (c. 630 – c. 570 BC), an Archaic Greek poet from the island of Le**os, known for her lyric poetry written to be sung while accompanied by a lyre.

In ancient times she was widely regarded as one of the greatest lyric poets and was given names such as the "Tenth Muse" and "The Poetess".

Most of Sappho's poetry is now lost, and what is extant has survived only in fragmentary form.

Jealousy

He must feel blooded with the spirit of a god
to sit opposite you and listen, and reply,
to your talk, your laughter, your touching,
breath-held silences. But what I feel, sitting here
and watching you, so stops my heart and binds
my tongue that I can't think what I might say
to breach the aureole around you there.
It's as if someone with flint and stone had sparked
a fire that kindled the flesh along my arms
and smothered me in its smoke-blind rush.
Paler than summer grass, it seems
I am already dead, or little short of dying.

--Sappho
______________________________

Visit https://www.wwhitmanbooks.com/poets-corner to read more poems and learn about our bookstore.

Store Hours Today

Sunday
11 AM to 1:30 PM
2:30 PM to 4:30 PM

04/08/2023

03/08/2023

22/07/2023

15/03/2023

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS : CAPELLA, BI-ANNUAL LITERARY JOURNAL: ACCEPTING UNTIL APRIL 30TH. PLEASE NOTE.....CAPELLA IS NOT CLOSED. LAST CHANCE TO SUBMIT FOR SPRING ISSUE. !!!!

08/11/2022

I am having a book launch for (as you can see, nottt a hashtag...) on 29th October at Artefact in Stirchley. I worked really hard on my little book, published by Between These Shores Books and covid and distance stopped it arriving with the bang it deserved.

08/11/2022

NEW CONTEST
Thanksgiving Essay Contest
Keep the gratitude in your attitude! Tell us in 500 words or less what you are grateful for, and why.
DEADLINE Midnight GMT Sunday November 20, 2022
2 WINNERS WILL RECEIVE a SIGNED copy of BTS Author LORRAINE BROOKS' book of poetry, "Riding the Wave".
VISIT OUR WEBSITE to ENTER TODAY!!

I am having a book launch for (as you can see, nottt a hashtag...) on 29th October at Artefact in Stirchley. I worked really hard on my little book, published by Between These Shores Books and covid and distance stopped it arriving with the bang it deserved.

21/10/2022

ATTENTION!!!
OUR FIRST HALLOWEEN CONTEST!!

Write a HALLOWEEN HAIKU
Send it in
WIN a SIGNED COPY of Christine Collins' new book "FORESTS OF SILVER FORESTS OF GOLD"​​
DEADLINE: MIDNIGHT GMT 29th October 2022

TWO winners will be chosen by BTS Books Editors, and will be notified by return email
​
Limit 2 entries (i.e. 2 haikus) per submission
All decisions final!
Winners will be announced on our WEBSITE on 31st OCTOBER 2022

VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE DETAILS

I am having a book launch for (as you can see, nottt a hashtag...) on 29th October at Artefact in Stirchley. I worked really hard on my little book, published by Between These Shores Books and covid and distance stopped it arriving with the bang it deserved.

17/10/2022

Right, listen, yeah.
I am having a book launch for (as you can see, nottt a hashtag...) on 29th October at Artefact in Stirchley. I worked really hard on my little book, published by Between These Shores Literary & Arts Annual and covid and distance stopped it arriving with the bang it deserved.
So, I'm banging.
The book was illustrated by the incredible Rebecca Louise of Red Hand Henna and it looks s**t hot.
I also have the honour of launching my book with Birmingham writer Robin Diver and her book . We both have the honour of being supported with music by Katherine Christie Evans who can do things with an instrument you've never heard of and a vocal range you've never heard before that will blow your mind.
So look, if you know me, and you're in Birmingham, or you don't know me, but you like folk tales, folklore, fairy tales and mythology, and Hallowe'en in general (christ, what's not to like??) come to Artefact in Stirchley at 5pm on Saturday 29th October to celebrate these books.
We will drink beer, play folklore bingo, have a fancy dress competition, read stories, ask and answer questions, listen to and weep over medieval music and have a banging time.
There is literally nothing more Hallowe'en you can do. I've literally done an empirical survey to qualify this statement*.
*May not be strictly true.

09/10/2022

PEN America’s Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) today condemned the arrest of Iranian musician and poet Mona Borzouei, who was taken into custody on September 28 by Iran’s security forces for reading a poem in support of the Mahsa Amini protests.

09/10/2022

A Benign Self-Portrait - A mirror will suffice, no doubt.

09/10/2022

Maria Bartuszová often used her body as her tool. She shaped sculptures by pushing, pulling, or submerging them in water, creating unique and distinct shapes resembling natural forms. Many of her works baring discernible traces of the artist’s touch. 🥚🌱💧

See Bartuszová’s tactile works on display now at Tate Modern, in a solo exhibition of the artist's work: https://bit.ly/3SU68IO

09/10/2022

12/09/2022

"One day you will ask me
which is more important?
My life or yours?

I will say mine and
you will walk away
👣
Not knowing that
You are my life."

♥️ Khalil Gibran (1883-1931)

11/09/2022

As the sad news was announced yesterday of the death of Her Majesty the Queen on 8 September 2022, we thought we should mark the occasion of The Queen’s passing with a poem.

We invited Poetry Society President Roger McGough to write a response to the unfolding news. We are very grateful to him for writing a personal and immediate reflection the same evening, as he, like all of us, starts to process this great change in our national life.

Read the poem on our website at poetrysociety.org.uk/poems/god-rest-the-queen

07/07/2022

DIVING FOR PEARLS
By Ingrid Bruck, Creative Non-Fiction Editor, BTS Books

Open Calls

Where does the writer go to determine what presses are open for submission? And which ones do not charge a reading fee?

The literary market is as unique as each journal’s choice of materials they publish. There are thousands of online journals, each with its own frequency of publication. Some few make daily posts. Some weekly. Some monthly. Some quarterly. Some bi-annual. Others annual. Some are simply irregular. This frequency of publication helps determine the open calls for unsolicited writing.

There is much inconsistency in the literary marketplace, the times when a writer can submit work to a particular press vary widely. It’s up to the author who wishes to get published to research where and when to send a submission for consideration to publish.

Many journals charge the writer a fee for consideration to publish, others do not. I for one look for lists of presses that do not charge reading fees.

The submission process takes valuable time away from an author’s work day. That’s where internet resources can provide a helpful time-saving tool.

Are you a writer with an interest in presses that do not charge a reading fee AND that are currently open to receive submission? If so, I learned about two resources this month. The lists are free and available online. Thank you to June Gould and Karlo de Seville for this information.

Check out these internet resources for Open Calls:

No Fee Calls for Poems: see Derek Annis' Submissions Calendar! This FaceBook Page contains a calendar that shows the opening dates of reading periods for journals and prizes. Unless otherwise noted, each journal listed accepts simultaneous and electronic submissions. A list of journals with year-round reading periods can be found below the calendar. - Derek Annis. It also says on the list if a journal's a no fee submission.

https://authorspublish.com/90-poetry-manuscript-publishers-who-do-not-charge-reading-fees/.90 Poetry Manuscript Publishers Who Do Not Charge Reading Fees. This fine list at Authors Publish is maintained by Emily Harstone, the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and The 2020 Guide to Manuscript Publishers. She recently updated the links and information on this list for currency and accuracy.

Good luck drafting yourown monthly list of online journals thatdo not charge reading fees and are currently open for submission. Happy writing in July!

Most traditional poetry manuscript publishers charge their readers a fee to submit. You can read about why that is the case here. This article focuses on a number of poetry manuscript publishers who do not charge submission fees to writers, which is good news for poets.