Hard Pressed acknowledges the contribution small publications and publishers of Manchester made to the city’s literature 1975 to 2010. They opened up literary space for the city’s working class and poor, LGBTQ+, global majority, neurodivergent and disabled. Defying the conventional expectations of mainstream publishers, they documented their resistance to cultural exclusion.

 

One of these publications was Citizen 32 first published in the early 2000s. Its slogan: ‘radical poetry and art’ Themed issues covered subjects as class, war, peace, censorship, home, sexuality and race. As part of Hard Pressed we asked John G. Hall, poet, facilitator and one of the Citizen 32’s editors to run some a series of workshops using the literature within these issues as inspiration for new work. This is the showcase that followed, a mixture of work from the old Citizen 32 issues plus the new work that inspired them. This was made into a zine that was on sale available at the event.

 

All three editors of Citizen 32, John as well as Christina McAlpine and Dave Toomer were in attendance.

 

John G Hall

Fiona Pymont
Gerry Potter
Anna Percy
Tony Walsh

Neil Campbell
Steve Waling

Neil Fawcett