Scree three done!

SCREE three will be launched at the Edinburgh Zine & Small Press Fair at the Forest Cafe on Sunday August 7. Following this date it will be available at Armchair Books (West Port) and Elvis Shakespeare (Leith Walk).

Scree three in progress.

The theme of this issue is Construction. In light of the earthquake and subsequent events in Japan, the idea of construction is germane: the way in which we build civilisations in the image of permanence, investing our establishments (buildings, systems, beliefs) with a stubborn sense of invincibility. Yet can we ever live cowering? We construct edifices and name things in order to survive, hold parades and rituals -meaningfully or not- to live our days- often greedily and selfishly- in abeyance of a certain end.

Yet perhaps a more optimistic interpretation of Construction lies in the possibility of existing within systems which encourages arenas of commonality. Hannah Arendt writes, ‘To live together in this world means that a world of things is between those who have it in common, as a table is located between those who sit around it; the world, like every in-between, relates and separates men at the same time.’*

This magazine is a hopeful construction, which acknowledges words, pictures, and music as technologies, as textual,visual, and aural organisations of consciousness- and not consciousness itself. The magazine doesn’t want to take for granted the permanence of structures, but nonetheless hopes to promote thoughtful ‘structuring’ with words, images, and sound. Arendt again: ‘The reification which occurs in writing something down… is of course related to the thought which preceded it, but what actually makes the though a reality and fabricates things of thought is the same workmanship which, through the primordial instrument of human hands, builds the other durable things of the human artifice.’

The contribution list for this issue is shaping up nicely: Greg Thomas is doing the cover art, and inside contributors include Sandra Alland, Ian Brand, Rodney Relax, Richie McCaffery, Jim Ferguson, Posie Rider, nick-e melville, and many others. The issue will be coming out on May 10. Please let me know if you’d like to receive it- it will probably cost £2, but I will let you know in due course.

* all Arendt quotations come from her book The Human Condition.

Scree two launch. September 15

It’s time! After a summer’s hibernation, the second issue of Scree is ready for its coming out party. Everyone is invited to Old St. Paul on Wednesday September 15th for an evening of celebration with music performance, poetry reading, cake, and dancing. Doors are 7.30pm and it’s £5. Hope to see you there.

Scree gig! Wed. August 11th

To help with the printing costs of Scree Two, we’re having a benefit concert on Wednesday August 11th, 7.30pm at Henry’s Cellar Bar. It’s £5 at the door with all proceeds going to Scree. See this page for more information.

Scree two: Folk

Exciting: Fledgeling (Stuart Simpson) has designed the cover of the next Scree, due to be out in September.

Here is the link to Stu’s blog about it. Many thanks Stu.

Scree one: The Outside World

It’s been half a year now since Scree One was birthed. The first issue is now fully distributed, but if you’d like a copy, send a message and I will print-on-demand. Here is a review by Flapjack Sally of the issue.