From STEVIE RONNIE, writer
I am writing in protest at the Arts Council's decision to remove their regular funding support from ARC publications. ARC is one of the most interesting and wide-ranging publishers of poetry in the UK and their heavy commitment to publishing poetry in translation is unparalleled.
Decisions such as this are astonishing to say the very least. It seems as if the history of an organisation and their cultural contribution is not taken into account when these decisions are made. This major loss to the publishing of poetry in the UK should not be viewed in isolation but alongside the funding cuts to Flambard, Enitharmon and Salt. As a result of these decisions almost half of the reputable national outlets for poetry publishing have been brutally cut. What logic is there to funding literature development whilst simultaneously removing any outlets that exist for the dissemination of the work of the writers that are receiving this developmental support?