Verbal

Verbal Magazine "One of the most significant in 20 years"

Verbal - a groundbreaking monthly publication devoted to books, authors, reading and writing - is produced by a team of journalists and professional writers at the Verbal Arts Centre in Derry. The first edition of Verbal came out on January 30, and 100,000 copies were distributed free of charge across Northern Ireland, inside the Belfast Telegraph.

Verbal Arts Centre Executive Director James Kerr explained: "Verbal intends to guide readers through the forest of new books. Last year more than 200,000 new books were published in the UK alone. In the face of such a staggering choice, where do you start? That's where Verbal comes into play."

Welcoming the new publication, Chief Executive of the Arts Council, Roisín McDonough, said, "The Arts Council is delighted to help fund this unique and groundbreaking magazine. Verbal promises to be one of the most significant developments in literary production in Northern Ireland for 20 years. It will be an important showcase for Northern Ireland writers, publishers, poets and critics, as well as a highly readable way of discovering all about the latest adult and children's books from around the world."

The new publication features reviews (best-sellers, fiction, biography, poetry, history, sport, photography, children's, etc.); author interviews; comment and gossip; details of competitions and industry awards; and a literary quiz.