"...the present-day composer refuses to die. And if that refusal is unavailing, the work has come into being as witness to the fact that attempts are still being made, even now, to conceive and realise art as a response to its own time in a way which unifies intellect and emotion.  This is the least that people deserve; and they may not indefinitely be satisfied with so much less, even if the agenda-controllers hone their techniques and exploit their stooges to an even greater degree than we see at present."
 
 

This issue grew like an unruly monster while my back was turned, and is the biggest Masthead yet.  I think it's a demonstration of the stubborness of art: how it remains, despite everything, recalcitrantly present, and uncompromisingly itself. 

As usual, Masthead encompasses a variety of disciplines and genres, and includes work from both well known and new poets, encompassing a wide variety of poetics and practices.  The poets represented here, each with a substantial selection of work, include UK poets Peter Riley, Chris Emery, Geraldine Monk, David Bircumshaw, Lawrence Upton and Ian Davidson; the Estonian poet Jaan Kaplinski; Les Murray, Kate Middleton, Michael Farrell and Kate Fagan from Australia; US poets Holly F. Pettit and Rebecca Seiferle and new translations also of César Vallejo's first book The Black Heralds.  Inside are essays on space and poetics and poetics and space, prose, extracts from two of Australian playwright Daniel Keene's most recent works, visual poems and even a visual novel.  Of note is the interview with the Welsh new music composer Richard Barrett, and his essay on the process of setting text to music, from which the quote above comes.  It's a good half year's leisurely read, and I hope you enjoy it.  I did.

 This issue's cover picture is "Listen" by Lawrence Upton.