Well, it is that time of the year when I ponder what Hedgehog will look like for 2025, and to be totally honest whether continuing to run our wee Cult of the Spiny Hog is a good thing or not.
On one hand, I rather love it, despite it taking over my life, but on the other I always worry whether it is worth it for people. Times aren’t easy and you don’t want to rip people off, so I worry whether it is ‘value for money’, if you see what I mean?
So sometimes you have to look back to see forward, or something, so …
If you had joined the Cult this time last year, for the whole of 2024, it would have cost you £99 for the Print version, or £49 for the eBook membership.
(It got a bit more expensive in January, but not much more expensive.)
For either membership, you would have been able to enter:
12 Competitions:
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- Little Black Book 01
- Crimson Spine Pocket Book 01
- A Proper Pamphlet 01
- Little Black Book 02
- Crimson Spine Pocket Book 02
- A Proper Pamphlet 02
- Little Black Book 03
- Crimson Spine Pocket Book 03
- A Proper Pamphlet 03
- A Proper Poetry Book Full Collection
- Crimson Spine Pocket Book 04
- A Proper Pamphlet 04
Take part in 12 Member-only Challenges:
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- Poems For Wonderland
- The Little Black Book of Exhibition Cards For Imaginary Paintings
- Poems for Gustav Klimt
- Anthology: Family Myths and Legends – Teaching Haile Selassie to Swim
- The Little Black Book of Summer
- Postcards from the Hedge : Josef Čapek
- Black Violin 3/4
- A Proper Hedgehog Vintage Christmas Annual
- Anthology: “Taped it off Somebody’s Brother”
- Black Violin 4/4
- Anthology: “Last Text Message”
- Anthology : Poems for Itō Jakuchū
Had membership of the Cult Library, where you could download any and all of 120+ collections, conversations and anthologies in DRM-Free eBook PDF format and keep them.
And best of all, you will have received Four Goody Boxes – either full of Printed books or eBooks, one delivered each quarter, that contained all of these, some postcards, bookmarks, artcards and who knows what else – I lose track, to be totally honest:
Best of all though, is the sense of community that all of the cool people in the Cult add to all of this, which is pretty much priceless.
So do we go again for 2025?
Yes please, Mark, if you can manage it… It is all rather wonderful and the e-book option is great value when pennies are tight,
Ceinwen xx
Absolutely, definitely, without a doubt and yes please. It’s amazing value for money and the books are gorgeous. I can only imagine the thought, the work, the time that goes into everything. If you can please keep going. From a very personal point of view I have been lucky enough to win some of the challenges, to appear in some of the books and to be a joint winner of a comp and have a beautiful little book published, all these have been very special and I value everything you’ve done, and your generosity of spirit. Thank you.
Absolutely yes please, Mark. I’m in!!! I love our poetry cult, the challenges, the opportunities, the friends I’ve made, and I love my quarterly bundle popping through my letter box.
You’ve made a lot of poets’ dreams (including mine) come true. Obviously your health has to come in to it but I really hope that Hedgehog continues.
Long live, Hedgehog Poetry!!!
I was very pleasantly surprised by all I received for my quarterly membership. Excellent value, but how can you afford to do it? Please continue if you can. Best wishes.
I got my first bundle of goodies through the post this week. Gorgeous.
Yes please Mark. I’m lucky enough to have had two beautifully produced pamphlets by The Hedgehog Poetry Press and love receiving the goody box.
I hope you feel able to keep going in these tough times.
I’ve been indoctrinated in the spiny cult for a number of years now, and for me it’s been immensely worthwhile. Obviously, it’s been a great pleasure working with you on my wee publications, but it’s such a delight to have my horizons nudged every three months with work by writers I may otherwise not have encountered (as well as reacquainting myself with old friends) through your eclectic selections. Also, the little anthologies have reached a new level over the past year – absolutely beautiful. (And I’m a big fan of the Crimson Spine format, too, which reminds me of those cool City Lights Pocket Poets books I snapped up when I was young and finding my enthusiasms in poetry.) So, for entirely selfish reasons, I hope you keep it up … though, of course, you’re the one who does all the hard work, so take yourself into consideration.
I very much enjoy participating in Hedgehog and hope you manage to continue. It is lovely to be able to dip into the library at will. The goody boxes have introduced me to some excellent new poetry and the challenges have prompted me to write things I would never otherwise have thought of while the competitions have made me look at my work in different ways. Overall it is good value for money. I commend the individual and thoughtful way the whole thing has been constructed. Good luck for 2025!
If you can Mark, it would be brilliant to see this wonderful press continue. Even joining for three months at a time has been a wonderfully inspiring experience, especially as other poetry competitions are becoming so expensive to enter. I might have to wait for a bit of time before I join again. My fiancée and I have just moved into our first home.
Yes please Mark. It’s a unique approach and if you are able to continue, would be happy to continue to take part.
All the best for Christmas
Sue L.
Absolutely, this is my first quarter as a subscriber and I’m definitely doing it again, although I’ll have to switch to online rather than printed for my next quarter (not because it’s not worth it, but because I can’t guarantee my postal address for 2025!) I’ve been in a writing rut on and off for a few years now and this has given me real inspiration, so I’d love for the whole thing to continue, please!