Magma 45

Magma 45 takes the theme of ‘Telling Stories’, and contains a page-turning selection of poems, from retellings of ancient myth to sci-fi inspired visions of the future. With Magma’s usual mixture of new and established writers, the issue includes poems from Daljit Nagra, Luke Kennard, Owen Sheers, Catherine Smith and Julia Copus. There’s also a chance to discover some of the most hotly-tipped emerging talents, as we showcase Rowyda Amin and print poems by all five of the recent Eric Gregory Award winners.

Elsewhere, Tim Turnbull tells the disreputable history of Music Hall, charting its influence on poets such as TS Eliot, and asking why this once popular poetry has fallen into neglect. Jacob Polley, following the publication of his debut novel Talk of the Town, wonders: what are the differences between prose and poetry? Marina Warner introduces us the work of forgotten poet Helen Adam, and her disturbing, gothic poem ‘I Love my Love’; poet and editor Matthew Hollis looks at the influence of Robert Frost, and we review new collections from Alice Oswald, Roddy Lumsden and many others.