From JOHN HARTLEY WILLIAMS
Poetry lives through its small presses. They are a vital part of any culture that is not monolithic and monopolistic. They are not driven by fashion and the desire for immediate profit but by a serious regard for literature that takes in the experimental, the unclassifiable, the downright original and the new. Arc has, I believe, one of the strongest and most independent lists in contemporary poetry publishing, especially in the field of translation, where poetry in the UK is otherwise extremely badly served. Simply to withdraw funding from such a committed and energetic press when it is in full flight would constitute, in my opinion, a wholly arbitary and unjustifiable amputation. The work that Arc does reverberates through the entire poetry community, as I have had many occasions to verify for myself at readings, workshops, festivals and conferences. My admiration for the publishers Tony Ward and Angela Jarman is immense. I can only hope that the Arts Council will re-assess the contribution made by Arc to the life of poetry in the United Kingdom and reconsider its verdict.