sx salon 5

This issue of sx salon is dedicated to celebrating Peepal Tree Press for its twenty-five years of publishing. Although neither located in the Caribbean nor dedicated exclusively to publishing Caribbean titles, Peepal Tree, as its name is meant to indicate, has strong roots in the region; the idea of the press grew out of founder Jeremy Poynting’s work in Guyana, and Backdam People, a collection of stories by Guyanese writer Rooplall Monar, was the press’s first publication. In the past quarter century, Peepal Tree has become one of the most trusted presses for Caribbean texts, introducing readers to fresh new voices and now also providing access to previously out-of-print texts in their recently launched Caribbean Modern Classics series, which has, in the past two years, returned to circulation such treasures as Edgar Mittleholzer’s A Morning at the Office, Andrew Salkey’s Escape to Autumn Pavement, and Earl Lovelace’s first novel, While Gods are Falling. These classics reside easily alongside new works in the Peepal Tree catalog, opening space for what Christian Campbell, in the sx salon interview with three young Peepal Tree poets (see the discussion section of this issue), calls an “exciting generational quarrel.” In addition to this interview, the discussion section includes thoughtful essays by Jeremy Poynting and Kwame Dawes (Peepal Tree poetry editor) on the past, present, and future of the press.

Continuing the theme, the reviews in this issue of sx salon feature five recent Peepal Tree publications: collected stories by Anton Nimblett and Geoffrey Philp, new novels by Jan Lowe Shinebourne and Brenda Flanagan, and Christian Campbell’s first collection of poetry. A mix of new and established voices, these few examples indicate the strength of the press’s current offerings.

Rounding out our June issue are poems from Angelique Nixon, Thomas Reiter, and Joanne Hillhouse, as well as short fiction from Lisa Allen-Agostini and from Fabienne Sylvia Josaphat, whose story, “Like Fish, Drowning,” will be continued in our August issue.

We hope you enjoy the June issue of sx salon (table of contents below).

Kelly Baker Josephs

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Table of Contents

Introduction and Table of Contents—Kelly Baker Josephs

Reviews

Running the Dusk, by Christian Campbell—Stephen Narain
Chinese Women, by Jan Lowe Shinebourne—Anantha Sudhakar
Sections of an Orange, by Anton Nimblett—Natasha Gordon-Chipembere
Allah in the Islands, by Brenda Flanagan—Caryl McFarlane
Dub Wise, by Geoffrey Philp—Jennifer Marshall

Discussion: Peepal Tree Press, 25 Years

Publishing in the Cracks—Jeremy Poynting
Finding a Home: Peepal Tree and Caribbean Literature—Kwame Dawes
Peepal Tree Poets Speak: sx salon interviews Tanya Shirley, Ishion Hutchinson and Christian Campbell

Prose

“The Gun”—Lisa Allen-Agostini
“Like Fish, Drowning (Part I)”—Fabienne Sylvia Josaphat

Poetry

Angelique Nixon
Thomas Reiter
Joanne Hillhouse