Stewed Rhubarb Press

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Stewed Rhubarb Press

Stewed Rhubarb Press specialises in publishing pamphlets by the best spoken word artists out there. Harding as co-editors.

Stewed Rhubarb Press began its life as a spoken-word pamphlet publisher at 1am in an Edinburgh garrett. Its very first publication, The Glassblower Dances by Rachel McCrum, won the Callum Macdonald Memorial Award in 2013. Stewed Rhubarb went on to publish sixteen pamphlets and an anthology over the next four years with Rachel McCrum and James T. In 2018, Stewed Rhubarb relaunched with James T. Har

ding at the helm and Charlie Roy soon joined him. In 2020, Duncan Lockerbie took the reins, with James moving to design & Beth Cochrane as Commissioning Editor. The team currently consists of Duncan & Charlie - their continuing mission is to treat spoken-word poetry with the enthusiasm and respect they deserve.

22/08/2025

👇👇👇🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿✍️✍️✍️

19/08/2025

Poem by Jeda Pearl from Hunter's Voices (2024) edited by Alan Riach.

Hunter’s Voices is an anthology of poems responding to paintings and objects in the gallery and museums of the Hunterian Collection at the University of Glasgow. Some of the finest poets of contemporary Scotland, writing in English, Scots and Gaelic languages, and in a variety of poetic forms, take us into the Hunterian spaces. Their poems are complemented by beautiful reproductions of paintings and objects from different centuries and around the globe.

Hunter’s Voices is not only a showcase for the Hunterian Collection but also questions the priorities of museum and gallery acquisition. It celebrates the priority of educational resources and the aesthetic brilliance of works of art but also explores the enquiries and themes raised by the collection as a whole. And it is a demonstration of the ways in which poetry works to open an interrogation of the silence such objects and paintings normally reside within. It is a form of redress.

Edited by Alan Riach, Professor of Scottish Literature at the University of Glasgow, and featuring poetry from Lesley Benzie Colin Bramwell, Lynn Davidson, Gerrie Fellows, Bashabi Fraser, Anne Frater, Jane Goldman, David Kinloch, Hannah Lavery, Liz Lochhead, Marcas Mac an Tuairneir, Lindsay Macgregor, Pàdraig MacAoidh / Peter Mackay, Peter McCarey, Jeda Pearl, Richard Price, John Purser, Samuel Reilly, Alan Riach, Stewart Sanderson Ian Stephen, Em Strang & Samuel Tongue.

Pick up your copy here:

https://stewedrhubarb.org/product/hunters-voices-edited-by-alan-riach/

Background is Judith Collins' PAOLOZZI.

01/08/2025

!! Event Cancelled !!

We've had to put off this reading for another time - apologies for any inconvenience folks!

*****

Eloise Birtwhistle’s debut pamphlet, Splenectomy, is framed around the experience of an unnamed in-patient being treated post-surgery on a hospital ward. From there, this extended poem puts the body and its histories under a scrutinizing lens to study our physical and mental agency. We tenderly explore human and non-human physiology; move between ancient and modern understandings of ourselves; and dive under deep water. With wonder, precision, and a distinct intimacy, Splenectomy renders blood and bile anew.

Stewed Rhubarb Press was founded in 2013, winning the Callum Macdonald Award for its first pamphlet, The Glassblower Dances by Rachel McCrum. Since then, they have launched 4 collections, 3 anthologies including the national Covid remembrance book "I Remember", and published 34 pamphlets from writers ranging from Edinburgh to the Appalachian Mountains, including playwright Jo Clifford, Scottish spoken-word poets Dr HJ Giles, Colin Bramwell, Marjorie Lotfi, Hannah Lavery, and David Kinloch.

Stewed Rhubarb Press is known for its passionately diverse list, authentic appreciation of the spoken-word scene, and high production values. Its mission is to treat spoken-word poetry with the enthusiasm and respect it deserves.

Eloise Birtwhistle's poetry has been published in journals including Gutter, SPAM Zine and New Writing Scotland. She won a 2023 New Writers Award and was a Finalist of the 2019 Mslexia and Poetry Book Society Women's Poetry Prize. A previous recipient of a St Mungo's Mirrorball Clydebuilt Apprenticeship, she now co-ordinates the Clydebuilt scheme. She has led creative writing workshops for organisations including Glasgow Women's Library, Lothian Health Services Archive and the Inverclyde Homeless Centre. Eloise loves football and currently works for the LGBTQIA+ charity LEAP Sports Scotland.

https://facebook.com/events/s/splenectomy-by-eloise-birtwhis/1254047256193709/

https://stewedrhubarb.org/product/splenectomy-by-eloise-birtwhistle-pre-order/

30/07/2025

Huge thanks to Stuart Kelly for this review of Eloise Birtwhistle in The Scotsman!

🙏🙏🙏🙏✨✨✨✨🙏🙏🙏🙏✨✨✨✨

https://stewedrhubarb.org/product/splenectomy-by-eloise-birtwhistle-pre-order/

https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/books/book-reviews-dm-black-dantes-paradiso-robert-crawford-old-world-eloise-birtwhistle-splenectomy-5228159

22/07/2025

Endless Blue by Laura T. Fyfe ( Laura Fyfe )

Charged with sensuality, spirituality and sass, Endless Blue is a vivid exploration of the space between sky and water, the horizon line between the ephemeral and the eternal. These expansive poems encapsulate Laura Fyfe's term as Stirling Makar, considerably broadening her poetic range while remaining firmly grounded in her working-class roots.

Laura T. Fyfe is a poet and writer who lives in river deep, mountain high Stirlingshire. She facilitates writing workshops and communities across Scotland, and supports writers worldwide.

"Endless Blue takes us from the moment a fossil footprint is formed, through the very different but almost complementary constructions of female and male identities, then oot into the endlessnesses hinted at in its title. These are poems open equally to deep time and spatial vastness. However, the key sense throughout is of a freedom beyond the limits of those identities we impose on ourselves. The pamphlet positions its ain freedoms in particularities of place, perception, and memory: those points at which the world sees us as much as we see it, and sees us whole."
- W.N. Herbert

“Laura Fyfe’s language spurs and soars into a tender blue, sometimes as ‘gentle / as a moth wing / holds air’, and sometimes with biting scars, like ‘watermark lines around our bruises’. In her poetry, textured blue-grey memory glides between form and formlessness: ‘seagulls drift above the memory of endless summer’ and ‘memories like pipe-smoke’ are inhaled in their powdery, heavy, black materiality. As one scales and crests this pamphlet, one finds in it audacious hope, soft wisdom, and stunning Scottish landscapes come to life. Her ‘Slow-Beating Heart’ is a fitting tribute to Stirlingshire from its wonderful Makar, and poems like In Concert and Taps Aff will sound stunningly incantatory to global readers reading Scots poetry. From the blue of the innermost eye of a fire to that of slowly healing bruises, Endless Blue is a fantastic read for the diverse shades of blue it has to offer.”
– Nikita Parik, Charles Wallace Fellow, Author

Pick up your copy here:

https://stewedrhubarb.org/product/endless-blue-by-laura-t-fyfe/

15/07/2025

From Eloise Birtwhistle’s Splenectomy, our most recent publication!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Eloise Birtwhistle's debut pamphlet puts the body and its histories under a scrutinizing lens in a study of our physical and mental agency. This extended poem weaves ancient with modern; clinical with natural; human with non-human; deep sea with air. Using wonder, precision, and a distinct intimacy, Splenectomy renders blood and bile anew.

"From hospital ward to Sulu Sea; from Hippocrates to Joni Mitchell, Splenectomy is a deep dive into what it is to be cared for as a patient and what is required to care for our planet and its peoples. Eloise Birtwhistle is a young poet of considerable potential and remarkable vision." - John Glenday

"In Splenectomy, language glides as effortlessly as a body into salt waves. Eloise Birtwhistle crafts scenes that glimmer hypnotically from the depths of the sea to the anaesthetic fuzz of a hospital bed. The poems in this pamphlet are expansive and iridescent, full of bright breath and evocative gestures." -Alicia Pirmohamed

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Pick up your copy here:

https://stewedrhubarb.org/product/splenectomy-by-eloise-birtwhistle-pre-order/

08/07/2025

As you’ll see from over on our Tapsalteerie page, there are big things ahead for both Stewed Rhubarb Press & Tapsalteerie! So much so that we’ve recruited Disrupted Blue Indie Press Publicity to help us get the word out! Expect more on our social media pages and from Disrupted Blue’s. Like our sibling press, we’ve got a back catalogue to celebrate as well as exciting projects ahead!

18/06/2025

🚨 OPPORTUNITY ALERT 🚨

📚 Intern Opportunity: Literary Researcher (Festivals, Prizes & Publications)
📝 Organisation: Stewed Rhubarb Press
⏳ Duration: Short-term project (flexible WFH hours – to be completed by end Aug ’25)
💷 Remuneration: £150 stipend + two mentorship meetings

Stewed Rhubarb Press is seeking a motivated and detail-oriented intern to support our publishing programme by researching literary festivals, prizes, and relevant publications. This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to gain insight into the independent publishing world and build connections within the literary landscape. This would be an excellent fit for an MLitt student.

🔍 What the role involves:
• 🗓️ Compiling a database of relevant literary festivals (UK & international), including dates, deadlines, and submission criteria
• 🏆 Researching current literary prizes for poetry and hybrid/experimental writing
• 📰 Identifying relevant publications and media outlets for our authors’ work
• 📊 Presenting findings in a clear, accessible format for the editorial team

🎁 What you’ll gain:
• 💰 £150 project stipend
• 🤝 Two one-to-one mentorship-style meetings: one with Stewed Rhubarb’s Publisher and one with our Creative Director, Duncan
• 🏗️ Exposure to the inner workings of a small, independent press
• ✍️ A chance to contribute meaningfully to our future publishing plans

👀 Who we’re looking for:
• ✅ Someone organised, curious, and enthusiastic about independent publishing in Scotland
• 📚 Strong research and communication skills
• 🧠 Interest in poetry, hybrid forms, or literary activism a bonus
• 🚫 No prior experience required — this is designed as an entry-level opportunity

📬 How to apply:
Please send a short cover note (max 300 words) explaining your interest in the role and any relevant skills or experience to [email protected] by 01 July 2025.

💡 We especially encourage applications from people underrepresented in the publishing industry.
❓ Any questions? Feel free to get in touch

03/06/2025

TONIGHT

SPLENECTOMY launch 🚀
Glasgow
Good Press Books
6:30pm

SEE YOU THERE (you really should come)

28/05/2025

📘 Available now: Splenectomy by Eloise Birtwhistle

Published by Stewed Rhubarb Press and edited by Alycia Pirmohamed, Splenectomy is the striking debut pamphlet from Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award winner Eloise Birtwhistle.

With lyrical precision and razor-sharp insight, Birtwhistle places the body—and its histories—under a microscope to explore physical and mental agency. 💥

🎉 Launch: 6:30pm, 3 June @ Good Press, Glasgow
📍 32 St Andrews Street, Glasgow G1 5PD

Order now via 💌

20/05/2025

🚀 PAMPHLET LAUNCH
SPLENECTOMY by Eloise Birch

👇👇👇👇👇👇👇
📅 Out 27 May 2025
🎉 Launch: 6:30pm, 3 June @ Good Press, Glasgow
📍 32 St Andrews Street, Glasgow G1 5PD

Pre-order now via our website 💌

SPLENECTOMY by Eloise Birtwhistle
Published by Stewed Rhubarb Press and edited by Alycia Pirmohamed, Splenectomy is the striking debut pamphlet from Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award winner Eloise Birtwhistle.

With lyrical precision and razor-sharp insight, Birtwhistle places the body—and its histories—under a microscope to explore physical and mental agency. 💥

Scottish Book Trust Pyrmohamed

15/05/2025

📣 Pre-orders are now open for Splenectomy by Eloise Birtwhistle!

Edited by Alycia Pirmohamed and published by the brilliant Stewed Rhubarb Press, this is the debut poetry pamphlet from New Writers Award winner Birtwhistle.

With sharp insight and lyrical clarity, Splenectomy places the body—and its histories—under a scrutinizing lens to explore physical and mental agency. It’s a striking, thoughtful, and unforgettable read. 💥

🗓 Publication Date: 27 May 2025
🎉 Launch Event: 6:30pm, 3 June 2025
📍 Venue: Good Press, 32 St Andrews Street, Glasgow G1 5PD

💌 Pre-order your copy now via Stewed Rhubarb Press at

https://stewedrhubarb.org/product/splenectomy-by-eloise-birtwhistle-pre-order/

Scottish Book Trust

Address

Edinburgh

Website

http://www.stewedrhubarb.org/

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