‘Safe Ground’ to be published by Mica Press

I’m thrilled to let you know that Mica Press has accepted my fifth book of poetry for publication either this coming autumn or early next year. Mica is an extraordinary little press in Wivenhoe near Colchester run by Leslie Bell. In 1984 Les, with a striking miner and a lorry driver to help, carried a second hand press into his sitting room to carry out his poetic dream. Life doesn’t flow in straight lines and it wasn’t until 2012 that Mica was really under way as one of the most select and excellent presses in the UK.

Having seen my Dylan Thomas parody ‘Just the Ticket’ online, he contacted me to ask if I would join his submissions window last autumn so of course I did. Les (an excellent poet himself) says: ‘Mica Press hardly claims to know what poetry is, what work it will publish, as it can only declare itself in a poetry nation seemingly pockmarked with publicity about prizes by appearing opaque but letting some firelight through, like the mineral it is named after.’

Mica (pronounced Mike-ah) is a sharp, gleaming mineral used (among other things) as an abrasive in toothpastes and to provide the gleam in some cosmetics. Les says the word is Latin for a crumb, and probably influenced by micare, to glitter. I grew up looking for the starlight of flint in dark Mourne granite and love that our cover for ‘Safe Ground’ is to be a photograph (of me aged around seven) taken by my darling dad close to the Mourne wall in County Down.

Mica’s books are beautiful to hold as well as read. I look forward to our editing process and am deeply honoured to become a Mica poet.

I am editing this post in March 2024 to bring you the latest on Mica Press’s website, namely their new titles and a new online bookshop!

6 thoughts on “‘Safe Ground’ to be published by Mica Press”

Angela Ward says:

January 24, 2024 at 10:22 am

What good news Rosie: can’t wait! Also great to hear that something good came of the heroic Miners Strike – Mica. I’d never heard of them before.
Angela xx

LikeLiked by 1 person

rosiejpoet says:
February 2, 2024 at 7:52 pm

Reply

Hi Angela, Les has asked me to make a small correction: the striking miner and lorry driver were two strong men who helped him carry the press into his home – Les himself was never a miner or lorry driver. Still a good story.

LikeLike