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Peter Lewis and Margaret Lewis on the Flambard Archive

Collected Voices

Flambard was a North East-based independent press which published a range of poetry and fiction, as well as some non-fiction and visual-art books. It was particularly focused on publishing new and neglected writers in the North of England, as well as promoting live literature.

Flambard Press was established in 1990 by Peter and Margaret Lewis. They began using early word processors and desktop publishing at Newcastle University, before securing funding from Northern Arts. In 2000, they were named a Regularly Funded Organisation of the Arts Council to cater for neglected writers of both poetry and prose, particularly of, but not exclusively from the northern region.

Over 20 years they published 129 titles, including several which were shortlisted for major prizes such as the Booker Prize, the T.S. Eliot Prize, and the Whitbread First Novel Award. Flambard Press supported many writers from the North East and Cumbria, as well as publishing authors from across the UK and overseas.

Flambard Press was supported by the Arts Council England until 2012, and officially closed in March 2013.

Establishing the Makaris Broadsheet

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Ted Hughes giving a poetry reading in Durham

The establishment of Morden Tower by Tom Pickard in 1964

Publishing their first poetry pamphlet

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Publishing the poems of Arnold Wesker

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John Murray being longlisted for the Booker Prize for his novel Jazz etc

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Publishing the short stories of Val McDermid

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Publishing the selected poems of John Fowles

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Flambards relationship with other local poetry publishers Bloodaxe books and Iro

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Listen to the full interview (part 1)

Listen to the full interview (part 2)

Listen to the full interview (part 3)