From DR. JOE MURRAY, Glasgow
I am writing to you in support of Arc Publications from whom you have recently made a decision to remove financial support. As a former literary magazine editor (West Coast Magazine[ref]) and small press publisher (Taranis Books, and Mythic Horse Press) I know how difficult it is to keep such presses going. I also know that you know how important such publishers are in the support of new and early-stage writers; it is mainly through Arts Council support for such publishers that new writing in the UK is nourished and encouraged. Removal of support for publishers such as Arc Publications can only have a detremental effect on the future of the work of creative writers in the UK.
The importance of literature is more than academic achievement or grand, national and international, prizes. Creative writing can give voice to whole communities that otherwise may not find them peacefully and creatively. It is a moot point, but my experience is that an individual's creativity (we are all creative to some degree) will emerge either positively or negatively. Support for the arts, in this case small publishers, enables many to positively create through poetry, fiction and playwrighting.
In Scotland, we may never have found such valued and internationally acclaimed contemporary writers as Stewart Conn, Carole Ann Duffy, Janice Galloway, Alasdair Gray, George Gunn, Kathleen Jamie, James Kelman, A.L. Kennedy, Tom Leonard, Liz Lochhead, Gerry Loose, Irvine Welsh, to name but a very few, were it not for the supporting role at the early stages of their careers played – and continue to be played – by small publishers who were, in turn, supported by necessary Arts Council funding.
The Arts Council of England has a proud tradition of supporting small press and, therefore, I ask that you reconsider your decision to withdraw financial support for Arc Publications, and in so doing continue to honour your own commitment to the future of literature and creative writing in England, and the wider UK.