A Summer of Scrawl...

More than a decade after its initial launch as a newsstand magazine, Scrawl is set to make an on-line comeback this summer. 

The first edition of Scrawl in print

The intention is to keep the concept alive with 'packages' of articles, uploaded to follow the quarterly publication pattern originally set out by the print schedule, and keeping most of the regular sections with some exciting add-ons. You may well ask, what is the ‘concept’? The original idea was to produce a literary ‘zine for Wales with a Welsh focus, which we did (the entire content - except for one feature written by the Irish author @OranRyan - has been generated in Wales by Welsh writers, designers and journalists) and so qualified for some support from the Arts Council of Wales to get us started…

The last print edition in 2002...

We have been proud of our wide remit, or what some refer to as ‘a lack of editorial focus’. We like surprises! The concept of Scrawl is an extension of the ideology of questing beast books – to support alternative and fringe culture, though not to ghettoise or marginalise this - or our Welsh ‘cultural identity’.

So, we want to cover anything that relates to good word-based media, from comics and song-writing to novels and film scripts, from text art to spoken word performance... The writing in Scrawl, and the writing it discusses and reviews, must demonstrate ‘a passion for words’. Not just ‘writers’, but any potent word-wielders.

We are delighted that questing beast author, Jeremy Dean has accepted the invitation and is back at the helm to curate the re-fit as contributing editor-in-chief.

Potential contributors can make initial contact via twitter @DeanAuthor, or send submission proposals to: 

Scrawl, P O Box 1, Blaenau Ffestiniog, LL41 3ZB, United Kingdom.

Suitable material for review will also be gratefully received at the above address.

guidelines for submissions:

Remy has this advice: “Scrawl wants journalism of a professional standard, with a 'voice' and slick clarity. We are interested in publishing critique and career overviews about important authors, particularly those so far under-represented (past authors covered ‘in-depth’ have included William S Burroughs, Marcel Proust and Colin Wilson), also themed 'investigations' - for example, see my feature on 'Futuregoth' - and interviews with cult writers... just check out the on-line content so far. Payment? Any published wordage will attract a pro-rata proportional share of any profit which one day might be made. (We do not expect to make any profit.)

“We do have the summer content more or less in place already, but will welcome submission ideas for future articles. The print editions carried short fiction and we will be looking into re-introducing a fiction element a little later (watch this space), but for now, no fiction or poetry submissions, thank you. As we are no-longer reliant on funding from the Arts Council of Wales, there does not have to be a ‘Welsh angle’, but bear in mind that the entire editorial crew are Welsh or living in Wales. Also bear in mind that Welsh people are interested in a wide variety of things, like everyone else… y'know, just the other day I was talking to a Welsh person who voiced concern about the situation in Syria... and they had also enjoyed some books written by Knut Hamson…  

"In a Knut shell, then? Surprise us... with your passion for words!”