End of Year Round-Up: Luke Kennard

Like a drip-feed, I will be releasing the answers of authors to my three questions over the coming days. First up: Luke Kennard!

Luke Kennard is an award-winning British poet, playwright and academic. He is the author of three poetry collections The Solex Brothers, The Harbour Beyond the Movie (nominated for the Forward prize in 2007) and The Migraine Hotel, all published by Salt Publications. You can stalk him on twitter here.

Has 2010 brought to your attention any outstanding literary magazines (be they online or in print), if so, which?

This year has passed ludicrously quickly. I’m still catching up with records and books from 2009. I wrote something for the 2nd issue of a lovely art and lit. journal called How to Disappear which I think is out soon. Uni of Lancaster’s Cake poetry magazine is ace (but I think that was 2009. Seriously, I don’t know where this year’s gone). If you haven’t checked out (Liverpool-based design, art and literary agency) Mercy’s 12 Angry E-Zines project, you definitely should, their podcasts, too.

What event sticks out in your mind as the literary event of 2010 (it can be a personal accomplishment)?

Um… The first volume of Mark Twain’s autobiography being published, maybe. I was writing an article on it for The National, so I stayed up every night for a week reading it with a candle. In personal terms, co-judging the Foyle Young Poets prize with Jane Draycott was a real high-point – there are 15 incredibly good poems in this year’s anthology and I feel proud to have been involved. I also finally finished The Brothers Karamazov.

What was your favourite literary discovery of the year (it can be a single poem, a novel, a pamphlet, a press, …)?

Penned In The Margins have started producing these beautiful limited edition things, halfway between a pamphlet and a collection – signed, numbered, bespoke bonus content. It’s the kind of wonderful presentation that really suits poetry; print-on-demand aesthetics always depress the hell out of me. Particularly when it’s my own book. Also the work is excellent. Simon Barraclough’s Bonjour Tetris and Ross Sutherland’s Twelve Nudes are both stunning.