This morning while I was on the train making my way to my day job I was reading Issue 4 of Tuba magazine, published by Inert Enigma press. I got a couple of free back issues at the Free Verse Fair in September but between working on my latest novel draft, editing my final manuscript for A Model Archaeologist and reading copious amounts of horror from the library, I hadn’t got round to doing a write-up sooner.
Tuba is perfect for a mid-range commute. The poems are short and quirky enough to keep one awake before the daily caffeine ritual begins. It was also good to be reading non-conformist poetry, deviating from the normal bookshop types. As one who enjoys idiosyncratic verse, my favourites were ‘Nonsense poem no. 3’ about ‘Mangels’ and ‘Wurzels’ by Lady June and a centre page spread entitled ‘Page for Proboscids’ which included 3 affectionate poems on flies. The only thing missing here was a poem told from the POV of a fly itself or some other such pathetic fallacy. Quick and quirky, Tuba magazine is a fun surreal read.
Leilanie Stewart 