Contents

Regular Features Competition

Inspired

Rachael Allen responds to Mei-mei Berssenbrugge

15

Selected

Catherine Redford

61

Close Reading Zoë Brigley reviews Gboyega Odubanjo, Jen Campbell and Sasha Dugdale 93 Tom Branfoot reviews Ali Lewis, Martin Figura and Caroline Bird 97 Laurie Smith reviews Michael Longley, Clementine E Burnley and Hannah Copley 100 Shalini Sengupta reviews Gustav Parker Hibbett, Niall Campbell and Len Pennie 103

Magma Open Poetry Pamphlet Competition 2024 The Man Who Made Up Trees 50 Michael Greavy Lefcovitch / Lewis 51 Rachel Lewis Double Weave 52 John Kefala Kerr IV. After Stefanie Sun’s (Encounter) 53 Jerrold Yam

The Articles

Table

David Toms

25

Words and Worlds: Writing Advice

Amy Acre

41

Well and Decent: A Tribute to Gboyega Odubanjo 78 Aoife Lyall, Joe Carrick-Varty, Cheryl Moskowitz, Lisa Kelly, Kareem Parkins-Brown

The Poems

Wolves

8

Sarah Corbett Big Head/Small Head

Claudine Toutoungi Elegy On Ritual

9

10

Jacqueline Zalace My Mother’s Daughter

11

Moniza Alvi The severed limb lost to the piano has achieved sentience (American remake of a cult classic) 12 Sam Grudgings Quartered 13 Jessica Traynor Me Plus 14 Julie Morrissy Heatwave 18 Christina Lloyd The Recovery 19 Martina Dalton A French Doll Instead of a Left Lung 20 Eve Ellis Madam Gout 21 Alexandra Corrin-Tachibana Pet deer 24 Nasim Luczaj home 28 Dillon Jaxx Woman, Sick 28 Jessica Boatright Rabbit in a drystone wall 30 Ian Humphreys

6