Front Line Press

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THE JOY OF FISHES, by Chuang-Tzu Can we know happiness?

We're posting some popular posts from the Highbrow Heretics Substack.
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The Artist Story from The Grind by Karl Parkinson.

We're posting some popular posts from the Highbrow Heretics Substack.
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At Slane McGlowan’s Funeral In 2013 I dreamed I was at Shane McGowan's Funeral. At the time I was reading Finnegans Wake, James Joyce's dreambook & heavenhell of Literature. Tributing Shane, I wrote the below in Joyce's style.

Two poems for two great artists that passed on this week. Poems for Cormac McCarthy and Christy Dignam.
By Karl Parkinson and Dave Lordan.

Poems For Cormac McCarthy & Christy Dignam Two poems in memory of two great artists that passed on this week

Hello Friends,

Letting you all know of this latest artistic venture from Dave Lordan and myself. We're starting a Substack, it will be the main focus of both of our artistic and creative endeavours for the foreseeable future. We're both really excited with what we can bring to people with it, and the options it gives us. If you are a follower, supporter, or in any way value our work, please do subscribe to the Subsatck. We believe you will be rewarded with some of the best contemporary writing out there right now.
Below is the full in depth details of this new exciting venture.

HIGHBROW HERETICS is a new venture from DAVE LORDAN AND KARL PARKINSON, two leading Irish contemporary POETS and internationally acclaimed ALTERNATIVE LITERARY writers.

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WHY SUBSCRIBE?

HIGHBROW HERETICS will be very different from most contemporary literature and most of the literary and cultural writing found online. It will be much much deeper, much more eloquent, much more entertaining, and much more challenging than all of that crap.

HIGHBROW HERETICS will concentrate on in-depth coverage of serious subjects relevant to all, in various styles and in various forms, drawing on Karl and Dave's much-applauded work in poetry, story, essay, video, podcast, audio production, and radical pedagogy.

Subjects covered will reflect the usual wide range of Karl & Dave's experiences, insights, and evolving interests, including deep-dives into Irish & International literary history and into the work & continuing relevance of great past writers, philosophers, and religious and political thinkers. Another big theme will be understanding and facing up to the critical condition of Planet Earth and the tremendous challenges and changes lying ahead.

You will not find much on HIGHBROW HERETICS that reminds you of Netflix; of the latest celebrity bestseller; or of the Fascists, censors and scolds of Twitter.

If you're s**t sick of s**t, sick culture and you want something that nourishes your soul and grows your consciousness instead, subscribe to Highbrow Heretics.
It's free and you will never run out of new, deep writing and creative provocations to enjoy.

IF YOU DO SUBSCRIBE YOU'LL RECEIVE FOR FREE THE FOLLOWING BY REGULAR EMAIL :

DAVE’S DROPS
Dave's weekly post about whatever he fancies and in any form he feels like. Could be a 10000 word essay on Poetry and Irish Rebellion or a three minute video lesson on the Crafty Art of Storytelling. He could be channelling Proust or Mother Jones, or perverting Yeats while resurrecting dear O Leary from the grave. Could be anything atall really, knowing Dave.

PARKINSON’S POST

Karl’s weekly post about whatever he fancies Literature, Buddhism, life, art, books.
A poem, a video, a story, audio.

THE EVERLASTING

Monthly deep-dive on great literature or a philosophical debate, always offering fresh perspectives and insights on what the wisest humans that have ever lived - the 'long friends' as Dylan Thomas calls them - can still say to us to help us understand, face-up, live on in 2023.

THE SERIAL

Continous serialization of our vast, internationally acclaimed, multiple award-winning back catalogue in fiction, non-fiction, poetry, art video, and soundscaped story. You'll be able to read and:or listen to all our work in commute-sized chunks, with added notes and explanations to help you understand the contexts of our work and what we were thinking of when we created it. We're talking about thousands of separate works dating from 1987 to this morning. You'll never run out of things to read and chew over on Highbrow Heretics.

Everything is free to all subscribers. However we are asking people who can afford it to become paid subscribers at a level of €7 a month or €77 euro a year. As an incentive to paid subscribers we will send you a hand written double-signed poem from our jointly composed collection, Back To Normal. These handwritten works are rare Irish Literary collectors Items and will accrue in value as time goes by.

ABOUT THE HIGHBROW HERETICS

Dave Lordan is an Irish poet working in text, performance, video, audio, and community creativity, inspired by oral and singer-songwriter traditions and by resistance to empire, capital, and human domestication. His works have won many awards and nominations and he has been a key figure in radicalising multimedia literature in Ireland over the past three decades. Dave’s writing has been translated into many languages, including Italian, Spanish, Irish, Arabic, Chinese, Flemish and Bulgarian. Studi Irlandesi lists 47 complete artistic works in multiple genres. His 48th work, the collection of soundscaped strange tales Last of The King’s Men is available on Spotify and all streaming services.

Karl Parkinson is a writer from inner-city Dublin. The Grind his first short story collection was published in 2022 by Front Line Press. Sacred Symphony his third collection of poetry was published in 2020 by Culture Matters. His second collection of poetry, Butterflies of a Bad Summer, was published in 2016 by Salmon Poetry. His débutnovel, The Blocks, was published in 2016 by New Binary Press, and in Italian translation in 2022 by Battle Editions. In 2013 Wurmpress published his début poetry collection, Litany of the City and Other Poems. His work has appeared in the anthologies, New Planet Cabaret (New Island Press), If Ever You Go: A Map of Dublin in Poetry and Song (Dedalus Press), The deep Hearts Core: Irish poets revisit a touchstone poem (Dedalus Press), Even The Daybreak: 35 years of Salmon Poetry, The Children of the Nation: An Anthology of Working Peoples Poetry From Contemporary Ireland (Culture Matters), as well as in several journals and newspapers, including The Stinging Fly, The Irish Times, Penduline (USA), Dublin Inquirer and many more. Karl is one of Ireland’s most acclaimed live literature performers. His work has been broadcast on national TV and Radio. Karl’s writing has been translated into Italian, Galician, and German.

Back To Normal, a jointly authored collection of poems by Dave and Karl, was published in 2022 by Front Line Press. It was awarded a POETRY TOWN BURSARY AWARD. It was the latest collaboration from Lordan and Parkinson, continuing their acclaimed work together in performance and video poetry.

Archive - Highbrow Heretics Full archive of all the posts from Highbrow Heretics .

2022 at Front Line Press:

Our two publications this year, Back To Normal, a co authored poetry collection from Karl Parkinson And Dave lordan, and
The Grind, a short story collection from Karl Parkinson.
Both first print runs are all but sold out. Both books are still available to buy on Amazon.

Both Dave and Karl had previously published books translated and published internationally this year too. Dave’s short fiction collection, First book of Frags was translated into Spanish and published in Chile, and Karl’s novel The Blocks, was translated into Italian and published in Italy.

A great and successful year for both Front Line writers.

Here’s to continued success in 2023.

A happy New Year to you all.

Link to books:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Grind-Karl-Parkinson/dp/B0B385V7P7/ref=sr_1_3?qid=1672443181&refinements=p_27%3AKarl+Parkinson&s=books&sr=1-3&text=Karl+Parkinson

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiQs9PwwaL8AhXMOcAKHV2vAA4QFnoECAoQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FBACK-NORMAL-Dave-Lordan-Parkinson%2Fdp%2FB09SFHQVNB&usg=AOvVaw3UBWVTSYGh8Niwt0J8E5V-

I wanted to write about the lives of people who only seemed to make headlines when they died Karl Parkinson hopes his working-class novel The Grind confronts the darkness in society

UPCOMING PROJECTS

Culture Night at The Cobblestone

We'll be running a showcase of innercity talent in Dublin's greatest live arts pub on Fri 23rd of September - programme announced shortly but will include mini-talks, song, music, poetry, comedy. It will be a very diverse and above all entertaining program reflecting and celebrating the people of inner city Dublin.

Overcomers Anthology

Frontline Press will shortly be inviting submissions of memoir on the theme of overcoming for a forthcoming anthology. Proceeds of the anthology will be donated to a charity or cause chosen by those included in the anthology. We are looking for the stories of survivors who have lived a life worth living despite great struggles of any kind. Submissions will be welcomed from beginner, amateur, and experienced writers.

https://www.writing.ie/tell-your-own-story/writing-the-grind-by-karl-parkinson/

Link to Karl Parkinson’s article about his short Story collection The Grind, on writing.ie. Get a copy on Amazon or directly from us, signed by Karl. DM for details.

Writing The Grind by Karl Parkinson - Writing.ie After my début novel, The Blocks, was published in 2016, and did relatively well–lots of great reviews, all that comes with a book, festivals, readings, articles, launches and so on–I thought I’d sit down to write another novel. Six years later I have my first collection of short stories publ...

Book launch date for your diary: Friday July 22nd, cobblestone pub, Smithfield. The Grind, by Karl Parkinson. Be there or be the most square of squares. 😜🍻🥳💪🏻

Coming out from us here at Front Line in July/August The Grind a collection of short fiction from Karl Parkinson Writer. Set in Dublin’s inner city, featuring stories about drug dealers and gangsters feuds, MMA fighters and artists, homelessness, addicts and more. Keep an eye out here for more details of launch day in due course.

Karl Parkinson’s short story Untitled/Head (word painting) is published in the latest edition of Lumpen The journal can by bought directly from Lumpen on their website. The story is one from Karl’s forthcoming collection, The Grind, which will be published by us here at Front Line Press.

What a night. Thanks to everyone who came, read poems, bought books, and had the craic. We filled the room and the room was filled with love and creativity. Back To Normal is launched.

This Friday at 8. Back To Normal will be launched by Emma Penny of . Live readings from the book by Dave Lordan and Karl Parkinson, and readings from Daniel Wade, Sophie Meehan kelseymaydaly and other poets on the night. Hope to see as many of you there as possible for a good night of poetry, solidarity, and craic.

EXPLANATIONS OF WAR.

The first nation to use aerial bombing was Italy, who bombed Tripoli in 1911. Since then mass murder of civilians from the air has been relentless and many tens of millions of innocents have died or been maimed. Against this we have one power only - imagination.