This collection of poetry, and short tales, is the first collaboration between Nathan A S Armstrong (pan trans man) and Elliott James Fraser (pan cis male) from Edinburgh Scotland, with artwork by Nimai Varia, an Edinburgh based artist.
This is a collection of poems that deal with love, friendship, hope, affirmation, confusion, melancholy, and everything in between.
It is not about politics or war and there is no hateful language.
Nathan and Elliott met in 2023 at Sketchy Beats Cafe in Leith, Scotland, at the Sad Song Club night. Sad Song Club is a fortnightly event, anyone can turn up and perform a piece of music or sing a song or recite some poetry. The only rule is it must not be deliriously happy.
One night both were nervously fumbling about hoping it wouldn't be their turn. Each could see the other nervously fumbling. So, at the end of the night Elliott asked Nathan what he was too nervous to perform, and Nathan asked Elliott the same question. So they swapped a few poems and each was blown away by the others' words.
They both agreed that these were far too good to never be seen or heard. Both Nathan and Elliott are extremely shy souls so they decided the best thing to do would be to print a Poemzine and, guerilla style, leave copies here and there. In libraries. In gender clinic waiting rooms. Maybe even sneak a few into book shops, like reverse shop lifting. After a week of this Elliott decided to approach independent book shops in the UK, some queer some not, and see if anyone would be interested in stocking the Poemzine. Well, whadya know a few shops were very keen and the book clubs that were given free copies gave such glowing feedback that it all just kinda snowballed and they all sold out.
So, this is the digital version of Gallus, the Poemzine that was self-published on a work photocopier and folded and stapled by hand in the canteen after hours.
There are lots and lots more poems to come, but this is where it all started.
Here, friends, is Gallus.
