Issue Eight, Autumn 2026
Dear readers,
Please allow us to introduce you to Issue Eight!
We are extremely proud of this issue, with its linguistic and lyrical range. It opens with a poem of welcome in Gaelic and glides through fairyland, nuclear facilities, autonomous zones, to parts unknown.
Order Issue Eight
£12 + £3 UK postage
Please include your address in the personal note box
Or subscribe below to receive a special surprise gift along with your copy and three forthcoming issues delivered to your door with a discount. We will also provide editorial feedback on a poem if you send us one!
A wee pre-stamping photoshoot
On the 29th of September we hosted an online reading to celebrate the launch of Issue Eight. Peter Mackay reminded us of the importance of hospitality, reading his wonderful poem ‘The Golden Rule’ which opens the issue, in Gaelic and English. CAConrad showed us the many gifts they’d received from a friendly crow and read from their forthcoming collection First Light. We then heard from Ida Sieciechowicz, amid the vapours of steamy Madrid, and Sarah Luczaj, who’s translated Ida’s latest work from Polish. Poet and activist, lisa minerva luxx, read her contributions to the issue and spoken about the energy it takes to campaign for change. The architect and artist Mathilde Dewavrin spoke about her work cataloguing the materials of colonial history followed by an excerpt from her bestiary of stone. Michaela Coplen read from American Centuries, a work of prose poetry that touches on militarism and childhood. Ellen Jones introduced us beautifully to the work of Yásnaya Elena A Gil, reading an excerpt from ‘Who does Zapatismo speak to today?’ published in Issue Eight. Our closing reading was from the wonderful Kirsten Norrie, who spoke eloquently about Robert Graves and analepsis, grief and robins, and the land of the fairies.
Our contributors: Peter Mackay, Helena Fornells Nadal, Zoe Friedland, CAConrad, Ektoras Arkomanis, Holly Pollard, Kirsten Norrie, Jack Emsden, Jack Westmore, Leo Bussi, Victoria Spires, Mathilde Dewavrin, Christie Williamson, Nicky Melville, Eamonn O'Sullivan, Ida Sieciechowicz trans. Sarah Luczaj, lisa minerva luxx, Yásnaya Elena A. Gil trans. Ellen Jones, Michaela Coplen and cover art by Astra Papachristodoulou.
Massive thanks to our typesetter, T. Person, and to TJ Books for accommodating the change to cream paper.
Samhain Outdoor Workshops
It's good to get together during the thin time so we've organised two workshops in community gardens around the feast of Samhain
ORNAMENTAL: Poetry & Bulb Planting at Galleywall Nature Reserve
A workshop on nature's adornments and acts of autumnal embellishment in a South London Nature Reserve. Expect writing exercises and bulb planting, readings, a bonfire and herbal tea. Come dressed for the cold. Gloves and gardening tools provided.
Galleywall Nature Reserve, S. London - Sunday 25th Oct., 2-4pm
£12 (includes a copy of Issue Eight) Free to subscribers - 15 spaces available
MULCH: Poetry and Tree Mulching at The Field, Duddingston
A workshop among the trees of Duddingston Community Orchard, Edinburgh. We'll look at the tree in song and the sonics of woods, orchards, and forests. Expect poetry exercises, tree mulching, a forest walk, herbal tea, and home-baking. Come dressed for the cold and ready for some light gardening work.
The Field, Duddingston, Edinburgh - Saturday 31st Oct., 2-4pm
Tree mulching, poetry, and home-baking
£12, (includes a copy of Issue Eight) Free to subscribers - 12 spaces available
Submissions
Submissions for Issue Nine are open until the 25th of Oct. We welcome poems, essays, or essay pitches on matters of land-use, ownership, and provenance. You can read our submission guidelines here: https://wetgrainpoetry.co.uk/submit.html
Thank you for reading and supporting the magazine! Enjoy the incredible writing in Issue Eight and stay in touch,
Patrick & Nasim
