Party Time for Poets at Launch of Second 'Spittoon' Magazine, May 20

Spittoon is now well established as one of the prime movers in Beijing’s flourishing literary and artistic scene. Last year we reported on the success of their first magazine launch, and now the second issue is about to be revealed, at a series of readings and a suitably lively party on May 20.

We spoke to Spittoon founder Matthew Byrne and magazine editor Simon Shieh to find out the latest developments.

What response did you get to the first magazine?
Matthew Byrne: The response to the first magazine was more than we could have expected. When the concept for the magazine was thought up and its existence announced at our reading nights, we didn't know that the magazine would arrive at the level of quality that it did for the first issue.

A lot of hard work went into building the team, finding and negotiating with our printer, and securing quality design for the magazine during that period. There were a lot of ups and downs, and I feel like the literary scene and friends of Spittoon repaid us with their support by filling up the issue 1 launch night to the brim and continuing to buy the magazine. It's worked as an excellent tool to reach new people and fiction/poetry enthusiasts from many different nations across Beijing. We've been restocking our outlets frequently with magazines across Beijing over the last six months, so we are very thankful to those that have supported us!

And what changes do you have planned for the second?
Simon Shieh: The second issue of the Spittoon Literary Magazine seemed to sprout legs and take off on its own, leaving us struggling to keep up. For this, our second issue, we could accept only 45 percent of submissions, as opposed to 90 percent from the first issue, leaving us with some of the best writing from around China.

Among our English-language literature, we have work from more established writers like Stephanie Anderson, Jennifer Fossenbell, Edward Ragg, and Bradford Philen, as well as some of the best emerging talent writing from or about China. Our Chinese poetry in translation section, moreover, features some of the leading lights of contemporary Chinese poetry, with award-winning writers like 肖水 (Xiaoshui), 杨黎 (Yangli), 李琬 (Liwan), and 郑小琼 (Zheng Xiaoqiong), the latter being a former migrant laborer in Guangdong who has now published 10 collections of poetry and has been translated into several languages. The Spittoon Literary Magazine is fast becoming the premier English-Chinese literary publication in the world, and there is no better home for it than Beijing.

What’s happening for the launch?
SS: The launch event will take place throughout the day on May 20, beginning with an open mic reading at midday at 798’s train tracks. That will be followed by a reading at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA) at 2pm given by a selection of Chinese poets published in Issue 2, along with their English-language translators. At 4.30pm there will be a fiction reading at 茶所 (TeaHere) around the corner from UCCA, featuring some of Issue 2’s fiction writers. The last reading will take place at M Woods at 6pm, and will feature a selection of poets from Issue 2. All of the readings will be followed with a Q&A session with the writers.

The day will end with a party at Gallery Yang with live music, Japanese-inspired appetizers, craft beer, wine, and soft drinks, all at a discounted price. Spittoon members will also get a 20 percent discount on Timezone 8’s entire menu all day long.

What does Spittoon have planned for the future?
MB: Spittoon exists now as a creative platform that travels across genres –- from our poetry and fiction reading nights (Spittoon Poetry and Spittoon Fiction) that happen monthly, to our poetry and music collaboration event (Spit-Tunes) and now Issue 2 of the Spittoon Literary Magazine. We look forward to growing that platform and continuing to forge new connections with Beijing's artistic and literary scene, regardless of genre or type.

Spittoon Literary Magazine is now set on a truly wonderful path, and under the auspices of its editorial team, I believe it is destined to really cement its international reputation as one of the foremost English and Chinese literary journals of the world. Simon and the team have done an amazing job with issue 2. The exciting challenge now is to continue to put out there and to get it into the hands of people across China and around the globe.

How can people get involved with Spittoon?
MB: Our poetry night takes place on the last Thursday of every month at the Ballhouse Pub in Guloudong Dajie. Our fiction night takes place on the second Thursday of the month at The Other Place on Beiluogu Xiang. You can find details of the address of each venue by visiting our website, spittooncollective.com.

If you have any general inquiries about Spittoon and you would like to get involved in some form, them please email them at spittooninquiries@outlook.com. If you have any magazine related inquiries then please email spittoonlitmag@outlook.com. You can also keep up to date via Facebook. If you would like to collaborate or work with the Spittoon team in any shape or form then please don't hesitate to get in touch!

Images courtesy of Spittoon