Dare-Gale Press stood out for the range of entries, which is eclectic, and because the quality of poetry is excellent. Throughout this year’s judging process, there were Dare-Gale pamphlets in the mix. It was no surprise, when the finalists for the Poetry Award were selected, that two of them – including ultimately the winner – came from this list. All the pamphlets we saw from this press were striking and elegant in their design, including some stunning cover images arising from themes in the poetry. The choices of font, setting, and quality of paper are exemplary, and there’s a strong sense of environmental responsibility. For a relatively new press, we were impressed by the high quality and rich mix of established and early career poets. The publisher’s declaration states: ‘For us a pamphlet is like a concept album with both poetry and design focussed on a central idea or theme.’ These are pamphlets to sit and enjoy, and to collect, and Dare-Gale is definitely a press to watch.
