14 poetry magazine

Hi

As many of you will know, 14 magazine is an annual poetry magazine devoted to poems of 14 lines only. The first series of 14 magazine was founded in 2005 by poet and editor Michael Loveday. The much-loved magazine ran until 2012. In 2020, with Michael’s blessing, Vanguard Editions launched a second series of 14 magazine. The design of the magazine was radically altered but the ethos remained the same: to publish poems of 14 lines only. However, a new feature was introduced, called Platform 14, which is a showcase for under-represented voices from projects supported by community groups and charities across the UK.

The first two issues – green and red – came out in 2020 and 2021 respectively and sold very well. We now know that, during the pandemic, books sales in general shot up. The pink and blue issues came out in 2022 and 2023, but these good sales numbers did not continue. In fact, sales dropped by an alarming 60% and Vanguard Editions took a big financial hit both times. I had hoped that sales for the yellow issue, published in 2024, would recover but, sadly, they didn’t.

This drastic fall in sales has left me in a difficult situation and the future of the magazine is uncertain. Printing and postage costs have risen sharply. In the past 18 months alone, Royal Mail has raised its postage prices four times and postage costs, especially international, are now eye-wateringly expensive. Then there is the cost of living crisis, which has left many unable to afford things like poetry magazines. Running 14 magazine is a labour of love and I run Vanguard Editions without any financial aid of any kind. I simply can’t continue running the magazine at such a loss and so I’m asking for your help. To cover the printing and postage costs for the next two issues, I need to raise £2,000. I know that 14 has many supporters across the world who would mourn the loss of yet another print poetry magazine. I believe the magazine is a valuable community resource that benefits writers and readers of all backgrounds. If you would like to see future issues of 14 in print, please do consider making a donation, however small, to keep our little magazine alive.

Thank you.

Richard Skinner

Editor of 14 magazine