Here at Minus 9 Squared, we like our writing to say something. Yes, we like it to be abstract and witty and arty and different and ground breaking, earth shattering and side splittingly funny too.

While we are not currently accepting submissions for a magazine, we have been rather tickled by all the goings-on in Britain (and indirectly, Ireland) regarding the Murdoch dynasty and News International.

We have watched the news feeds with baited breath. We have witnessed the fall of another Sunday paper; we have witnessed the resignations of a number of very powerful people; we have witnessed the teeny-tiny furrowing of David Cameron’s brow and the sweat creeping slowly down it as the noose tightens around the idea that his government and his own judgement is being called further and further into question.

And we’ve witnessed Wendi Deng absolutely deck a comedian who tried to pull the foam pie trick on the wily 80 year old tycoon. Stand by your man and all that.

So, in honour, actually, let’s not say “in honour” because let’s face it, there’s absolutely nothing honourable about the situation the news media has found itself in. This ongoing cataclysm of events has brought the organisation into disrepute and the question of integrity and honesty is now being questioned in every institute.

The fact is, some of us still know how to do it properly. Some of us still have some elements of common decency such to the extent that the tapping of a murdered teenager’s phone is something that we find abhorrent and would challenge anyone who might suggest that we “must think otherwise because we’re part of the media and they’re all the same”.

We’re not all the same.

So, as a way of marking this remarkable event, Minus 9 Squared is putting together a text anthology of poems and short fiction all based around the collective themes of corruption, manipulation, lies and power. Pretty much any theme that is inherent in the Murdoch story.

We would stress that we would be delighted to receive some crime fiction as the editor is currently engrossed in it.

The best stories and poems will be fashioned into an online novel collection, complete on small pages and everything and will be available from the usual source Issuu.

This is the first spur-of-the-moment publication we have decided upon and we hope that it will be the first of many.

Submissions to the usual address: minus9squared@gmail.com

Deadline: Friday, August 5^th.

Just a quick post to let everybody know that M9S is moving. Oh yes. We’re getting bigger and better. We have moved to: www.minus9squared.weebly.com

We have a news page where we will put up any events people ask of us as well as anything we come across ourselves on our own travels. Our new blog is open to all writers if they want to contribute. We would love to have a weekly columnist or two to write about different aspects of the arts and their struggles etc.

We want this new site to be a hub of creativity and discussion which is why we have also incorporated a new forum into the site. There, you can discuss work, collaboration or pretty much whatever else you wish in the Off Topic area.

So get yourselves over to the new site, join the forum, get involved and let’s make M9S bigger and better again!

And it’s jam packed with arty and literary goodness. But don’t take my word for it. Check it out for yourself.

It’s available here:

http://issuu.com/minus9squared/docs/minus_9_squared_volume_one

Read it and weep!

No, stop holding them now -we’re not THAT close to finished.

But we do need our contributors and readers help for out editorial. For anyone who was not aware, our editorial team has, in the last few months, welcomed a new member to the team, a co-editor whose name cannot be revealed for security reasons. (And because she’s afraid people will go look up her Facebook page for ammunition)

But, as part of our editorial, we are inserting a Q&A session with herself and myself and we require you guys to send us questions to (try to) answer.

So it’s quite simple. If you have a question, please leave a comment underneath this blog post with your question, name and any relevant quirky detail you might wish to impart about yourself.

Alternatively, you can email us at the usual mail minus8squared(at)gmail(dot)com

Happy questioning and hopefully the questions don’t make us unhappy as we try to answer them!

Just to let you know that the submissions for our first anthology of 2011 have now closed. We have received PILES of amazing submissions and have selected the final submissions so we are not setting into the wonderfully tedious job of designing the magazine.

We hope to bring it to you sometime in mid-May. For now, watch this space and start honing those submissions for the next magazine.

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Also, for anyone who may be interested. We can be found on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Minus-9-Squared/166273743430292

and here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=342126916106&ref=ts

Or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/minus9squared

The band spent January and early February writing, arranging and recording new material. They hit Transmisssion Rooms Recording Studios in Longford working with Michael Cronin from The Aftermath at the controls. Followed by mixing with Brian’s brother, IFTA nominated composer / producer, Lance Hogan and fellow Kila compañero.

Festival season started early for Preachers Son. They are playing The Ribbon Rhythm Festival in Donegal in aid of Autism Sat February 26th followed by a hop and skip over the Irish Sea Friday March 4th to play Manchester Irish Festival and Vantastival Festival have just confirmed Preachers Son April 30th..

Last but not least….Preachers Son are very very excited to be attending Canadian Music Week and playing Canadian Music Fest in Toronto, Canada’s Largest Music Festival, March 9th – 13th.  The band hit the stage in Toronto 10pm at Cherry Cola’s Rock N’ Roll Cabaret Thursday March 10th. Preachers Son were featured on ExploreMusic, acclaimed Canadian web and radio service dedicated exclusively to music discovery, earlier in the year and are delighted to have been invited March 9th to the ExploreMusic Corus Quay studio in Toronto to record a live session / interview. The trip across the Atlantic is supported by FMC | Music From Ireland | Culture Ireland.

Upcoming dates:

FEBRUARY 26th – Ribbon Rhythm Festival, Mount Errigal Hotel, Letterkenny, Donega l
MARCH 4th -  Manchester Irish Festival, M19, 847 Stockport Road, Levenshulme, Manchester, UK
MARCH 9h- ExploreMusic, Corus Quay, 25 Dockside Drive, Toronto, Ontario, Canada 3pm
MARCH 10th- Cherry Cola’s Rock N’ Roll Cabaret, Toronto, Canada 10pm,  (CMW – Canadian Music Fest)
MARCH 27th- Saucy Sundays @ The Grand Social, Dublin 10pm
APRIL 30th Vantastival Festival, Dunany Estate, Co Louth 8:20pm
MAY 6th – The League of Decadent Bastards @ The Sugar Club, Dublin 9pm
MAY 7th – New Irish Music, Sweenies, Dublin 9:30pm
JULY 26th – White Horse Sessions, Kennys, Lahinch 10pm

For further information contact: Justine Doswell info@preachersson.com / 00353 (0)87 4190371

WWW.PREACHERSSON.COM

BIRD RADIO- http://birdradio.co.uk/Bird_Radio.html

DIMBLEBY & CAPPER(solo)- http://www.myspace.com/dimblebyandcapper

THE VICHY GOVERNMENT- http://www.myspace.com/thevichygovernment

THE AUTOCRAT OF THE BREAKFAST TABLE- http://okonomiyakiliberalism.tumblr.com/

PERHAPS CONTRAPTION- http://www.perhapscontraption.co.uk/

and performance by

THE DANCING PLAGUE OF 1518

PHIL PHILMAR

WOLFGANG MONEYPENNY
transpontine nationalist, inventor of tradition & rehabilitated freedom fighter

With a raffle where you could win an original artwork by the artists!

£ 8 entry on the door- all proceeds from the night will go towards funding the exhibition

After an extended hiatus, Minus 9 Squared is back.

As the dust settles on a hectic January, we are pleased to announce that Minus 9 Squared is returning to a virtual shelf near you this Easter.

While it was always our aim to have a magazine every month, time just did not allow and we have now decided that it would be best to focus on 2-3 magazines a year, anthologies if you will so there will be more page space in this magazine.

And the best news? There is no theme so you are free to send us whatever your heart desires (or doesn’t, it’s up to you!)

Looking forward to getting back in the saddle and bringing the biggest and best issue yet to all of you good people.

Submission Guidelines:

Fiction: 3000 maximum.

Flash Fiction: 500 words max.

Poetry: 40 lines max

Visual Arts: No larger than A4 size. JPG format. Maximum of 6 images per submission. We will NOT accept entire albums to choose our favourites from so choose wisely and send!

Theatre: Extracts of up to 3 pages OR 5 monologues

In addition to your submission, please include a contributor’s profile of a few lines that we may use should we choose to publish your work. For examples refer to back issues.

As always, please send all submissions to Anna at minus9squared@gmail.com

EDIT: We are of course; always looking for front covers as well and the following are the submission guidelines for it:

We are looking for images with the following criteria:

1. A4 size.

2. Portrait format

3. The title of the magazine (Minus 9 Squared) somewhere on the body of the cover.

4. Something brilliant would be preferable.

We are accepting visual artistry of any kind, just as long as it’s visual and well, arty.

So get cracking folks – the front page needs you!

Immortality awaits.

Deadline: 31st March 2011



INVENTION NIGHT

a scratch night presented by THE INDEPENDENTS

Friday 21 January, 7pm

Mo-Ling Chui – media artist, director and curator

Sean Corby – musician

Kati Howe – curator and creative philanthropist

Roberta Jean – choreographer

Tim Lenkiewicz – circus practitioner and director

Jorge Lopes Ramos – theatre director and lecturer

Harry Meadley – artist

Sarah Ruff – performance maker

Nicola Singh – artist and curator

Rupert Thomson – writer and producer

Kate Tiernan – artist and artistic director

The Independents is a development opportunity for artists and practitioners, supported by The Cultural Leadership Programme.