Regret and new opportunities: a word from the editor
After the publication of our spring titles at the end of May 2011, Alcemi will cease to publish.
Thanks go from Gwen to everyone who believed in Alcemi, and supported us, especially the Wales Books Council/Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru, who had faith in us in the face of negativity from certain circles and expectations that were unrealistic for a literary imprint of a small independent general publisher. We had a good time together and had a disproportionate number of prize nominees for such a small and short-lived imprint. And they all looked good, thanks in particular to designers Marc Jennings and, latterly, Matthew Tyson. Especial thanks and kind wishes to Gee Williams, Fflur Dafydd, Llwyd Owen and Penny Simpson, whose good nature and ambitions for their novels kept me going. Good luck too to this Spring's new authors, especially Richard Gwyn. Diolch i bawb a oedd yn gefnogol! And not to forget anybody: thanks to Dufour, our American distributors, and to Inpress Books and Central, who are doing a really fantastic job of supporting independent publishers. Between the demise of Flambard and ourselves, Inpress will soon lose two exciting small presses, but I'm sure their vision will attract new publishers and new success: thanks Rachael, James and team! Diolch yn ola i Alan: byddai'n colli'r technical know-how! A hwyl fawr iawn i Sonia, Anwen a Paul.
Gwen is the new editor of New Welsh Review and can be contacted there on . At NWR I welcome submissions of fiction (including novel extracts), short stories, microfiction, nonfiction, features, reviews & criticism, articles with a visual dimension, author pieces, opinion pieces on the general arts and contemporary culture as well as genre titles and books for young readers, news from the bookworld, poetry and proposals for creative responses to classics of Welsh writing in English. Check out NWR for submissions guidelines.