Hello from frosty Yorkshire – and Prague!

As editors we all live in different places in the world! Rue and I are both UK-based, but 100 miles apart, and Natalie Nera lives across the sea, in Prague. This year I was lucky enough to travel to Prague for the first time to visit Natalie and her lovely family. I enjoyed a week exploring the culture of this enchanting city, and even participated in a reading with Natalie in the capital. We were also able to catch up during the summer as trio of editors in Newcastle; the place where we first met and created Fragmented Voices. At times such as Christmas we notice those friendships, as well as family, more than ever. 

Thanks again for supporting our indie press this year. It is truly exciting to read your submissions for our online magazine and annual Big Books. Our third Big Book, an uplifting poetry anthology beautifully designed by Rue on the theme of ‘the ones who make the world better’, is just around the corner for launch and release in print and digital form. We’re very excited to celebrate the work of our authors. 

2023 will bring some exciting developments for our press. At Fragmented Voices we aim to connect voices across borders, and this year we have published some fabulous international voices in our Translation Tuesday online features, including Czech poets, Japanese verse, and our thrilling autumnal showcase of Peruvian writers. In 2023, we hope to expand our showcase of translation into print form for your bookshelves. 

Online submissions are closed for now, but we will be open again in the New Year. We wish our followers, readers and authors peace and happiness this Christmas.  

Natalie Crick

Poetry Editor