Update: Making a Muddler

I've now withdrawn "Making a Muddler" from the DSCH Journal. There are a number of reasons for this, but the main one is that the Journal gives copy approval to article and interview subjects (something I was not aware of when I wrote the piece).

The uncensored, unauthorised piece will remain on this site for everyone to read. 

I will not be writing for the DSCH Journal in future. There is one more piece I wrote for them (a concert review) that, as far as I know, is still due to appear in their July issue.

Making a Muddler

My article "Making a Muddler: How the British Far Left Learned to Talk About Shostakovich" was written for the DSCH Journal, and last I heard, it was still scheduled to appear in their July 2017 issue. However, there is a possibility that it will appear in an altered form. I've therefore put the original version on my website; you can read it here.

Carnivorous Plant Newsletter article

The current (December) issue of the Carnivorous Plant Newsletter includes my tribute to my father, Jeff Del Col, who loved carnivorous plants and was an early contributor to the Newsletter. You can buy a copy in the International Carnivorous Plant Society's online shop (or you could consider becoming a member).

More DSCH Journal pieces

The January issue of the DSCH Journal will include two reviews by me: one of the Royal Opera House's recent production of The Nose, and one of Jascha Nemtsov's new recording of the 24 Preludes and Fugues by Shostakovich's contemporary, Vsevolod Zaderatsky. Zaderatsky's story is particularly interesting, since his music was never performed in his lifetime; he spent much of his adult life in gulags (where the Preludes and Fugues were composed), and his work was banned even after his release.

I've also recently completed a longer article for the Journal that is tentatively scheduled to appear in their July 2017 issue. Watch this space ....

New DSCH Journal, and CPN update

Issue no. 45 of the DSCH Journal, including my review of Julian Barnes's novel The Noise of Time, is out now; please go to the website to buy a copy or subscribe.

Meanwhile, my piece about my father has been held over till the December issue of Carnivorous Plant Newsletter.

Poem Flyers are out

The Poem Flyers of "Bat Walk" and "On Seeing the North Korean Prison Camps on Google Earth" have now been printed. They're not available by mail order, but can be bought for 20p each at various poetry-themed venues and events in the UK. Look out for them and the rest of the series at the Poetry Book Fair in London this September!

Upcoming (re)publications

My poems "Bat Walk" and "On Seeing the North Korean Prison Camps on Google Earth" are set to be published as part of Poem Flyer, Robert Richardson's publishing and design project making individual poems available in print for just 20p. "Bat Walk" previously appeared in Corvus Review and "On Seeing the North Korean Prison Camps on Google Earth" on Dagda Publishing's blog, but this will mark the first print publication for both. Release date to be confirmed.

Also, my poem "Opus 6" will shortly be reproduced in a special memorial issue of Alderson Broaddus University's literary magazine, InFlux, along with my father's poem "Memento Mori." Both poems originally appeared in the DSCH Journal, having been written and accepted independently. My father taught at Alderson Broaddus for nearly 40 years and served as InFlux's advisor.

Jeff Del Col 1947-2016

My father, Jeff Del Col, died suddenly and unexpectedly yesterday. He had a greater influence on me than anyone else. I love and will miss him more than I can say.

My poem The Morgantown Pandas was dedicated to him.

New issue of DSCH Journal out now!

Issue 44 of the DSCH Journal is out now, and features my poem "Opus 6" as well as my reviews of M.T. Anderson's Symphony for the City of the Dead and the Barbican's recent Shostakovich Day. You can order your copy at http://dschjournal.com/.

Upcoming publications: Maudlin House and DSCH Journal

My short story "Hi, I Found a Bat" will appear in the February issue of Maudlin House, an online journal dedicated to "transgressive, absurdist and minimalist literature" that "explores the human condition." My story also explores the chiropteran condition, as a bonus.

Also, I've had it confirmed that the January issue of the DSCH Journal will include not only my poem "Opus 6," but also my reviews of M.T. Anderson's Symphony for the City of the Dead and the Shostakovich Day that was held at the Barbican in December 2015. Exact publication date to be determined, but will be later this month.