Ambit x Soho Radio

The euthanasia party of Ambit. Celebrating winners of the Annual Ambit Competition for Poems, Stories & Art. Stuart McPherson (poems, judged by Rebecca Tamás), Paul Currion (stories, judge by Jenni Fagan) and Robert Gillespie (art, judged by Danielle de Picciotto). Established in 1959, the board opted to close down charity operations in 2023. The final broadcast, presented by Kirsty Allison. Please sign up for more at kirstyallison.substack.com

1. JASON ATOMIC: ULTIMATE SPINACH, “(BALLAD OF) THE HIP DEATH GODDESS” 2. GIL DE RAY ; PAUL WIBIER “SATAN” 3. TONY HERRINGTON: GUN CLUB, “MOTHER EARTH” 4. HOLLY AMBER, H P LOVERAFT, “MOBIUS TRIP” 5. SAVAGE PENCIL: BLUE OYSTER CULT, “TRANSMANIACON MC” 6. KIRSTY ALLISON: JIM CARROLL, “PEOPLE WHO DIED” 7. REN BLACK: PENETRATION, “LOVER OF OUTRAGE” 8. TONY POTTS: PATTI SMITH GROUP, “RADIO ETHIOPIA/ABYSSINIA” 9. peter hope-evans: BLIND MAMIE FOREHAND, “HONEY IN THE ROCK” 10. SHARON GAL: MELTAOT, FIRST RITE 11. STEPHEN BARRETT : BIG BLACK, “KEROSENE” 12. GAYE BLACK: BEHEXEN, “MOUTH OF LEVIATHAN” 13. MIKE MASTRANGELO: SUICIDE, “GHOST RIDER” 14. BARBARA FROST, ROBERT WYATT, “SHIPBUILDING” 15. AVIVA DAUTCH, THE BEATLES, “HELP!” 16. SHARON GAL: MELTAOT, “SECOND RITE”

Special edition on the second ever Ambit Pop, guest edited by punk art legend, Savage Pencil, best known from his artwork for the most extreme late 20th century musicians such as Sonic Youth, Nick Cave, Lydia Lunch, Mudhoney, Sunn O))) and many more. Special guests include Barbara Frost, who writes stories in the magazine inspired by Savage Pencil's drawings, peter hope-evans (Medicine Head) sharing breath with the jew's harp, Gaye Black aka Gaye Advert (bassist in The Adverts) with her black metal photos, and Geraldine Beskin of Atlantis Bookshop where a show by Savage Pencil, of his poster artwork for Sunn O))) in on until the end of June. Join the Ambit Pop Tour in July. Details on the website. Ambit Rebellion in Poems, Stories, and Art since 1959

Editor Kirsty Allison talks digital culture with Anthony Anaxagorou and we drop the name of his highly anticipated new collection on Granta Books. Ambit hang in the rainbow realm celebrating the queer collection of the year with Queering the Green (Belfast Lifeboat) editor Paul Maddern and recent Clarissa Luard Award winner Padraig Regan talking about the concepts of anti-inclusive language as subject. Also regular Ambit contributor, Mícheál McCann. From the forthcoming Ambit 246, we go beyond the streets of Soho with the louche lines of fashion illustrator, musician and poet Stuart McKenzie who'll be performing at our party at the Martinez on 2 March. Also in the studio, Cleo Henry, who's being published for the first time by Ambit. She reads Each Time I Piss in Hampstead Heath. And it's a pleasure to host the queer Manx poet, Simon Maddrell and Tom Bland whose Camp Fear collection on Bad Betty Press is designed for a life of chaise be-longue-ing. Music from Gil De Ray, BAG x Behrens, Jamika and the Argonauts, Disinformation, and Hackedepicciotto.

Ambit magazine, est. 1959, bids adieu to Briony Bax, editor from 2013-2021, who speaks about her Lament collection about mental health (Rough Trade Books), with music from Pete Astor's The Attendant, Malik Ameer Crumpler's new Brazilian collaboration, presented by author, poet, and incoming editor, Kirsty Allison

First broadcast with Soho Radio NYC and Culture, hear poet heroine, iconic essayist, and mighty novelist Kim Addonizio talk about the gender politics in literature with Kirsty Allison

Michael Foreman - the art director of Ambit for 50 years, with legendary typesetter Alan Kitching, who came in with Derek Birdsall's Omnific Studios - illustrator and jazzman, Ken Cox, our new designer Stephen Barrett with Kirsty Allison, and curator and author, David Brittain, and an in depth discussion with art competition judge, Michael Salu.

Lias Saoudi of Fat White Family discusses the ‘Johnson method' alongside the theme of Futility! Fear! Faith! with author of the cult worldtrip-inside-your-soul book, Threshold, Rob Doyle, and Jenni Fagan, who's recent novel, Luckenbooth frames gothic Victoriana into Edinburgh tenements over 9 decades by way of beatnik residents of mulitudinous force. Also, hear work from Jeremy Reed, Connor Seed and Vida Adamcewski's letter to her brother, Saul from Fat White Family. Hosted by Kirsty Allison, with thanks to Clare Lynch for producing. This is the first show on Soho Radio NYC & Culture from the venerable Ambit arts and literary quarterly, which was established in 1959 by Dr Martin Bax in London. Editors have included JG Ballard and Eduardo Paolozzi. Work by everyone from William S Burroughs, Stevie Smith, David Hockney, Francis Bacon, Linton Kwesi Johnson to more recent literary and arts idols has been published on the infamous pages which became somewhat banned in 1969 for launching a competition for work written on drugs. Poet Briony Bax (Rough Trade Books) took to the helm in 2013, and recently recruited Kirsty Allison, who have together introduced the all new Ambit Pop editions, which interchange with the traditional unsolicited submission editions of 96 pages selected by editors. The first Ambit Pop is out now, and is guest edited by Lias Saoudi of Fat White Family who introduces a stellar crew of Rob Doyle, Jenni Fagan, Benjamin Myers, Adelle Stripe, Jeremy Reed, Zaffar Kunial, Connor Seed, Nina Power, Vida Adamczewski, Niall Griffiths - with art from Marco Livingstone, Steven Allan, Anna McDowell, Wayne Horse, and Neal Fox (Le Gun) have created something quite exceptional, and it's £10 or £30 for a print subscription for a year. The annual competition is currently open for another month with the theme of Metamorphosis and judges: Deborah Levy (stories), Kim Addonizio (poems) and Michael Salu (illustration). Enter now! https://ambitmagazine.co.uk/