Just over a year ago a group of Melbourne poets who all had manuscripts ready for publication discovered the urgent need for a press devoted entirely to poetry.

The major publishers were booked out several years ahead just dealing with their regular authors, and as their poetry lists were limited to a handful of volumes each year the chances of acceptance were minimal. Moreover, these publishing houses are commercial ventures, and the need to show a return prevents them from taking too many risks.

The small presses which offer an alternative tend to be run on shoestring budgets which don’t allow them to publish all the worthwhile manuscripts available. They are usually restricted to a particular small group who work together on a more or less co-operative basis.