Christodoulos Makris

Cadences is a journal of literature and the arts published annually by the Department of Humanities at the European University of Cyprus. From the editorial statement: "Writers in Cyprus think, feel and express themselves in several languages, Greek, Turkish and English being three of the most prominent. Cadences is a bridge between them, a meeting point at which writers of the diverse communities of the island may find each other, and learn from their encounters with difference." Volume 5, published last month, is largely dedicated to the work of Yiannis Ritsos, the year 2009 being the centenary of his birth. It features some of his original poems in Greek along with translations in Turkish; responses to his poems by contemporary Cypriot writers, in English and in Greek; and the winning poems from an islandwide schools competition dedicated to Ritsos. But the issue also features original work. Included in it is my poem 'Nicosia Journal', which is a sequence in n

Succour 10: The Banal is now out. From shoelaces and spreadsheets to trivia, taxi rides and telesales; from your lunchtime sandwich to the very last thing you see before you die... The work collected in this issue teases out the mystery, beauty and horror in the so-called banal. Fiction from Duncan Brett, Kevin Brown, Gary Cansell, Abi Curtis, Cassandra Moss and Mark Staniforth. Prose Poems from Annie Clarkson and John Clegg. Poetry from Judy Brown, Isobel Dixon, Melissa Lee-Houghton, Christodoulos Makris, Shaunagh Darling Robertson, Ben Rogers, Lee Rourke, Maurice Scully, Cherry Smyth and Grace Wells. Artwork from Derek Ogbourne and Martin Skauen. The Banal is available from our stockists and the online store . * My contribution to The Banal is a 'sales pitch' for an issue of Paris Match from January 2009. A harrowing photograph from Gaza that appears in it is an image that literally pierces the poem, and acts as a momentary distraction to the salesperson.