Unexplained by Amber Massie-Blomfield

Amber Massie-Blomfield draws a portrait of an urban life haunted.

The umbrellas are removed from the stand and hidden. Her sister’s picture, the one in the silver frame, shatters, and for weeks shards of glass turn up where they shouldn’t, in people’s beds, in the cutlery drawer. Her mum’s windows are left wide open in the middle of winter, her expensive perfume bottles found in pieces on the concrete far below.

Read the story after the jump.

A Conversation with Ben Galley

With two hit novels at the age of 24 and no plans to stop, Ben Galley has proven himself to be a powerhouse of self-publishing talent. We caught up with the man himself to chat about fantasy fiction, the pitfalls of publishing and the merits of map-making.

High By Night by Les Rolt

A buddy of mine’s getting married, and he’s having his bachelor party in Vegas. I figured I’d stop by my old home town first – stop over just for tonight then head on to the City of Sin in the morning. It’s this plan that has led me here, to a 24hr diner on the side of a busy highway.

Having a life that straddles the Atlantic can cause problems. You remember the country like a past lover, but friends are harder to keep hold of. Read more in Les Rolt’s short story, High By Night.

Review: The House That Groaned by Karrie Fransman

Karrie Fransman’s first graphic novel is a story of disparate bodies and the ties they form in the space that contains them. Sombre and dark with bursts of delight. Read our review of this brilliantly crafted snapshot of human interaction.

Say Cheese by Amber Massie-Blomfield

Today we have some short fiction from the fantastic new writer Amber Massie-Blomfield. Say Cheese brings a snapshot of a couple unveiled from both sides of the lens.

He keeps watching her. Her stomach fills with butterflies, because there’s something almost frightening, letting herself be looked at like this. She doesn’t catch his eye. She lets the warm air lift the glowing strands, flying out about her in a halo. It will be a mess.

Read the story after the jump

Volumes of Text: a teaser

Here’s a little glimpse at some of the stuff we’re throwing together for the Sites of Alternative Publishing exhibition.

The exhibition opens on Friday 17th of February with a preview evening, to which you a cordially invited. Come along, have a gander at our work and say hello.

A Pigeon, A Kitchen and An Annexe: Sites of Alternative Publishing
17/02 > 04/03
Five Years Gallery
8 Andrews Road
E8 4QN

Read the full press release.

Two Tales: Komal Verma

Today is an auspicious day for Annexe as it marks the first prose addition to what was previously the Two Poems series. You can still divide the two if you are that way inclined; Two Tales and Two Poems will still have their own categories, but if you’re an all-encompassing lexiphile you can click on the Two Texts category to get both in one delightful bundle.

The first author to read some prose for you is the exception Komal Verma. We spoke to Komal a little while ago about her upcoming novel The Sword and The Scion. Ever the versatile  writer, Komal also crafts stories in a more bitesize length. Today she is reading her short piece The Warning and an extract from Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities.

The Warning – Komal Verma

Cities & Desire – Italo Calvino

More about both works after the jump

Anatomy of the Event

Just a little plug about our upcoming event.

The incredible Charlie Dupré has been added to the bill. He’ll be taking to the stage alongside Will Conway, Gloria Sanders, the Instant Theatre and the absolutely amazing Nathan Penlington.

Come along and enjoy a letterpress biscuit with us. Tell your friends. Shout it from the rooftops. Annexe is putting on a show!

That’s a lot of information, but if you want even more, head over to the events page.

Spoken Word Mixtape #3

Finally, our third Mixtape is ready for your aural consumption. It’s taken a while, but only because we’ve been scheming and planning all sorts of other delights for you. Like this.

Our first ever literary event takes place on Tuesday 18th of October. If you’re London-bound you should come along. We’ve got fantastic guest writers and poets, Instant Theatre and you can also get the first three spoken word mixtapes on CD, in a hand-made, limited edition slipcase, absolutely free!
So, back to the mixtape:

Full tracklist after the jump.

Annexe Presents… Et Al.

Well, colour us excited!
The inaugural literary event from Annexe Magazine is all planned, prepared and is fast approaching. Everyone in Annexe HQ is positively beaming with the news of our incredible line-up. In the lab, the team is crafting the finest in bunting, biscuits and puns. It’s set to be a firecracker of an evening.

Click the image to see the details grow before your very eyes.

Some of the highlights on the bill include:

Nathan Penlington
Will Conway
Gloria Sanders
Instant Theatre

You can find out more about them and read more about the whole night over on the events page.

Remember, put the date on your calendar:

Tuesday 18th October
7pm for a 7.30 start
£3

The Charterhouse Bar
38 Charterhouse Street
EC1M 6JH

Closest tube: Farringdon or Barbican (3 minute walk from either)