The Margate Bookie ‘zine truly has become global, with creative submissions from England, Germany, America, Malaysia, Australia, and Jerusalem, to name but a few. One day we’ll do a world tour, but for now, we’re showcasing some of our great contributors on the Margate Bookie blog.
In this latest blog of our Global Zine series, we (virtually) jet over to Pune, India to chat with Katherine Abraham about her experience writing for Reset.
Where did you hear about the Margate Bookie ‘zine?
By a stroke of luck! I happened to stumble on a post in a Facebook group called Call for Submissions, which is unusual in itself because I rarely if ever use the platform for anything other than the redundant ‘Happy Birthday’ posts. I came across this post and realised I had some time for the submissions and quickly got started.
What prompted you to submit your creative work?
I’ve been published in multiple journals and books across the world by the time this ‘zine happened. However, A Letter to my Love is one I particularly cherish because it’s a literary piece with a personal touch and it was a way to share a very vulnerable side of a writer without giving out too much. I enjoyed the process just as much as every other article or features I write about but writing a letter, and a love letter for that matter, made me particularly happy with this piece.
How did it feel to find out that your letter had been accepted?
Like a five-year-old exposed to a candy shop with a free hand to choose whatever she wants! I was absolutely thrilled. As I said, it was personal and it helped me connect with a side of me which, until then, hadn’t really made much headway in public. Writers are often good at concealing their emotions in the undertones of their works. I was proud that this work was open, vulnerable and full of hope and joy.
What did you think of the submission and editing process?
A fairly simple and easy process, but honestly, I don’t think that was all. I think what kept me on my toes was the promptness with which Justin and the team responded . Where I’ve submitted to a plethora of anthologies across the world, I’ve found most of them dreadfully painful. Most of them have detailed Google forms backed by the lackadaisical attitude of the team, not to mention the much-hallowed clause of ‘no parallel submissions and/or no repeats’ which is rather off-putting. The Margate Bookie ‘zine submission is a rare thing. It was crystal clear from the beginning with no unnecessary add-ons.
Would you submit your creativity again?
Without a doubt, I absolutely would. And not just my writing but my photography as well. I think every creative artist likes to be appreciated and celebrated. The ‘zine does just that.
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To read Katherine’s great creativity, and all of our other amazing contributors, don’t forget to grab your FREE online copy of Reset. You can also buy your very own paperback ‘zine here.
Don’t forget to also have a read of our first ‘zine The Great Indoors.
Submissions for The Open Arms, our third ‘zine are now open.
Check out our announcement post here.
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