About Penned in the Margins

Penned in the Margins is an independent publisher and live literature producer. Based in London’s East End, we specialise in contemporary poetry and spoken word, but operate across all artforms.

Live Events and Productions

Since 2004 we have curated, produced and commissioned a diverse range of events, projects and productions: sell-out music and poetry nights at The Spitz; London Lip and Visions of the City at the Bishopsgate Institute; Salt Margins and Stress Fractures Performance Lectures at the Whitechapel Gallery; UK tours of Generation Txt, Found in Translation and the poetry theatre show Kalagora; and a series of literary salons at Aubin & Wills.

We’ve worked with well over one hundred writers, musicians and artists, including Iain Sinclair, Glyn Maxwell, Daljit Nagra, dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip, Inua Ellams, Laura Dockrill, John Wilkinson, Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band, Hannah Silva, Luke Kennard, Jeremy Warmsley, Joe Dunthorne, David Harsent and Clare Pollard.

Publishing

We published our first book, the anthology of new poets Generation Txt, in 2006. Since then we’ve racked up over twenty titles spanning poetry, criticism and short fiction. We also publish a series of limited edition mini-books, soon to become collectors’ items. Our books have been Highly Commended by the Forward Prize, and featured by the likes of Time Out, The Sunday Times, The Culture Show and BBC Radio 3.

Consultancy

As well as our books, events and productions, we offer a range of consultancy services: from marketing to website design, event programming to podcasting. Organisations we’ve worked in partnership with include Arts Council England, the Poetry Society, Poetry London, Free Word Centre, Resonance FM, Jewish Book Week, the London Borough of Ealing, Writers’ Centre Norwich, Spread the Word and Salt Publishing.

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Director – Tom Chivers

Tom Chivers is a writer and literary arts producer. His books include How To Build A City (Salt Publishing, 2009), The Terrors (Nine Arches Press, 2009; shortlisted for the Michael Marks Award for Poetry Pamphlets) and, as editor, Generation Txt, City State: New London Poetry and Stress Fractures: Essays on Poetry (Penned in the Margins, 2006, 2009, 2010). In 2008 he was Poet in Residence at the Bishopsgate Institute, and in 2009 he presented a documentary about the poet Barry MacSweeney for BBC Radio 4. He received an Eric Gregory Award in 2011.

Tom was co-Director of London Word Festival from its inception in 2008 until 2011, and was a recipient of a Breakthrough Award from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. As well as promoting the likes of Phill Jupitus, Christian Bök and Saul Williams, he has commissioned and produced a wide range of new performance work including The 14th Tale by Inua Ellams, Hackney Ascension Day by Iain Sinclair, Shad Thames, Broken Wharf by Chris McCabe, Briggflats Rewired by Leafcutter John, Every Rendition in a Broken Machine by Ross Sutherland, and site-specific murder mystery The Crash.

Tom has worked on a variety of arts and literature projects with organisations such as The Poetry Society, Writers’ Centre Norwich, the Arvon Foundation, and the Free Word Centre, where he was Digital Editor 2011-12. He has been a Board Member of the Poetry Book Society since 2009.