Flax is a publisher committed to highlighting new work from the North West of England. We have grown from litfest, the literature development agency that’s based in Lancaster, UK, and its interest in strong writing, engaging ideas and gorgeous design.
The editorial team is Sarah Hymas and Andy Darby, who have a tendency argue as well as agree, which means there is no one sensibility behind the work presented. The designer is Martin Chester (www.designjack.co.uk), and his ambition is to reflect the thrill of new literature through accessible design. All photography is by Jonathan Bean (www.beanphoto.co.uk).
The poets and fiction writers we showcase are among the most vibrant and interesting in the region. In our three years of existence, we have produced four digital anthologies that are available for free download from www.litfest.org, one bi-lingual pamphlet, No One Else at Home, by Joanna Skalska, translated from the Polish by Ian Seed, and two paperback books.
We've recently branched out into new areas (for us) of publications: a poetic film, which you can view to the left, an ep of reworked poems, the tracks of which you can hear above, and a blog-based fiction which you can read via the litfest website, and some sumptuously designed posters (by Martin Chester) that feature specially commissioned poems and short fictions.
There has been a resurgence in recognising the quality of buying local produce and we don’t see why this should stop at food. We have a rich culture in the North West of writers. Is it the quality of life here that is more conducive to thinking, imagining and the creative practice? The air is clean and life is rich. We are served by a wealth of galleries, universities and independent businesses, and yet there are fewer people to jostle us and clog up roads (except perhaps for the A592 in summer).
What all the writers published with Flax have shown is where we live does not necessarily contain us, but rather nourishes us and reflects where we go in life: in reality and in our minds. By being rooted to the region we are able to stretch beyond its boundaries.
Our vision is to marry traditional book design with digital technology. We are committed to supporting our writers in their professional and creative development.
We aim to uphold the values of story, poetics and voice.
Our 2009 schedule has been finalised. If you're interested in submitting work head over to the flax pages of the litfest website to read how.
