Drunk Muse Press

28/01/2025

Big thanks to everyone who submitted work for Issue 12 of The Poets' Republic - our 10th anniversary edition. Our editors will be in contact over the coming week about our selection. This spring issue of the magazine - featuring a brand new Young Republic section - will be our biggest yet, including more than sixty poets, a showcase of Scottish and internationalist poetry in English, Scots and Gaelic. We'll also be inviting pre-orders soon. Up the Republic!

19/01/2025

The editors at Drunk Muse Press are delighted to announce the seven women poets selected from our recent shortlist for book publications in 2025 & 2026 - Dorothy Lawrenson, Keeks Mc, Jane McBeth, Jamie O'Halloran, Anne Pia, Olive Ritch, and Julie Sheridan. Thanks again to everyone who submitted work for consideration - so much outstanding poetry for us to read through. Watch this space for news and updates on our books and events . . .

12/01/2025

Big thanks to all the women poets who responded to our callout for book submissions with Drunk Muse Press. Our editors have been taken aback by the quality of the poetry sent in. Initially, we were looking for two further poets for our 2025 book-list, but, in light of the high standard and volume of submissions (we were inundated), we now aim to publish three poets in 2025 and four in 2026 from the following 12-strong shortlist: RUTH AYLETT, LESLEY BENZIE, DOROTHY LAWRENSON, KAREN LITTLE, KEEKS Mc, JANE McBETH, SINEAD McCLURE, CAROL McKAY, OLIVE RITCH, JAMIE O'HALLORAN, ANNE PIA, JULIE SHERIDAN. We’ll be announcing our choice of seven poets from the shortlist in due course. Once again, thanks to everyone who submitted poetry for consideration. Your interest in Drunk Muse Press is much appreciated.

31/12/2024

Big thanks to all the women poets who responded to our recent call-out and submitted work for book publication with Drunk Muse Press in 2025. We were aiming for two more poets to add to our existing list but, due to the high standard of the work, we'll be making that three. We'll also be inviting a further two or three poets from the submissions to publish with us in spring 2026. Our editors will now be scrapping it out among themselves to select three poets for 2025 - it will be a difficult choice as we've been taken aback by the power and range of the work and really do wish we could publish more. We'll be in touch in coming weeks with everyone who sent us their poems. Here's wishing you all peace, justice and a joyful 2025.

04/12/2024

The poet-editors from Drunk Muse Press/The Poets' Republic will be mob-handed at this festival in Edinburgh on Saturday/Sunday, and running two entertaining workshops . . . which means you get all our talent and shiny faces for FREE (see link for programme), so please do come along - look for Julie McNeill who will be armed with a big bowl of sweeties. We'll also have a book stall, run by child labour - my 12-year-old daughter - with all proceeds from sales going to MSF.

The EUTC’s Community Festival is a celebration of Edinburgh’s radical community. Bedlam Theatre will open its doors from 10am until 8pm over the weekend to host a range of interactive workshops, talks and panels. Come and watch a talk, join a workshop, or browse the stalls in our café to buy au...

20/11/2024

Great to see Northwords Now back in the fray. And big thanks to the magazine and Cáit O'Neill McCullagh for this generous interview with our publisher Neil Young

Forty years ago, in a Chapman article in which he argues the need for a Scottish Writers’ Coop...

12/11/2024

Submissions are invited from Nov 15-Jan 1 for Issue 12 of The Poets' Republic. To coincide, we're delighted to announce Lydia McMillan as editor of our new Young Republic section, and Elissa Hunter-Dorans as our new Gaelic editor. Please see drunkmusepress.com for guidelines . . .
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Lydia is a twenty-two year-old poet from Dumfries, a graduate in Philosophy from Edinburgh University. She was selected as a ‘Scottish Poetry Library Young Makar’ in 2022 and has performed her work in many places including Stanza, the Wigtown Book Festival, the Kirkcudbright Fringe, the Wee Gaitherin and the Dandelion Festival.
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Elissa is a writer and artist from the Highlands. Named the Scottish Poetry Library’s first ‘Next Generation Young Makar’ for Gàidhlig poetry, she has performed at the Dandelion Festival, StAnza, and the Edinburgh Fringe. Elissa has contributed to many Gàidhlig literary and cultural projects, and was recently awarded the Julia Budenz Commemorative Prize for Gàidhlig poetry. She is the President of Edinburgh University’s Folk and Traditional Music Society, where she is currently studying History of Art.

08/11/2024

For those who missed out on the exhibition during summer 2024’s poetry festival (the most successful to date), the tour will provide another wonderful opportunity to view it! Northeast poets will celebrate the work of acclaimed writers living and dead at the launch of our literary Heritage Exhibit...

07/11/2024

Newsflash . . . Drunk Muse Press invites submissions from female poets for two new book publications (60-80 pages) next summer. In the first instance, please send a sample of 12-15 poems in A5 word.doc format - along with a brief biographical note - to drunkmusepoems@hotmail before January 1st . . . And here's a snapshot of the superb women poets we've already published or will be publishing soon.

21/10/2024

Still up for the scrap! 😎

Wee bit of news . . .