From MICHAEL O'NEILL, Professor of English, Durham University
I am writing to express my deep shock and dismay that Arc is to lose its Arts Council funding. An experienced, independent, and vibrant publisher of poetry, Arc has published many significant books, always beautifully produced, and covering a great range of styles and subjects. It has sponsored new work by poets from the UK and round the world, and it has a particularly distinguished record as a publisher of translations. The decision to axe its grant makes no sense; even the utilitarian abacus seems to have been cavalierly thrown out of the window. On any fair reckoning, it is clear that small but essential sums of money from public funding have resulted in great cultural benefits. I write as an interested party, having had the good fortune to have a book published by Arc, but anyone who cares for poetry in the UK will, I am sure, wish to urge the Arts Council to rescind its decision.