Issue 14 of The Apostrophe on the theme of GOLD is now out on Substack and published as a pdf. This one contains a stunning cover, ‘Dart Reflections’ by the super-talented Shaun Dérioz, a French photographer based in Totnes, UK, alongside many other talented artists. The theme for the next issue is FALL. I look forward to receiving your art!
Tag: The Apostrophe
Fire Horse
As the Year of the Fire Horse continues to gallop away at breakneck speed, there’s also a Fire Horse let loose in The Apostrophe. Issue 13 is out! The one had a record number of subs! Enjoy and don’t forget to follow us on Substack!
Cover photo by Christopher Woods
FORTUNE – The Apostrophe
Issue 12 of The Apostrophe has landed on Substack! This one features a firecracker of a cover by Zed and a pithy photo story by Joãowow Lucas. If you’ve got an eye for capturing a ‘moment’ on camera, I want to see it as art editor! Subs reopen April 1st (no joke) on the theme of ‘YAWN’.

Rooting for Passion!
I love connecting with established and emerging visual artists as art editor for the HKWC‘s quirky lit mag! Issue 9 of The Apostrophe on the theme of ‘ROOTS‘ featured a cracking cover by Bethan Clark and stand-out artwork by Sai Pradhan and Ilos Ilyas Elias Kirkan, who has also been Mental Ideas‘ most prolific contributor in quite some time!
The theme for Issue 10 was PASSION. This one featured an exquisite cover by Ilos Ilyas Elias Kirkan and more delectable artwork by Jade Bryant (cover artist Issue 1), Anthony Roussell, Carl Scharwath, Susan Pollet, Tiziana Rasile and Ricky Sadiosa. If you’re passionate about art and would like to submit to our next issue (theme is ‘FLEX’), please reach out!


Action!
Another action-packed (and themed) edition of The Apostrophe (Issue 7) has dropped on Substack! It can also be read and downloaded as a pdf here!
This one features incredible photography by Anthony Roussel (cover artist) and Philippe Joly, and spectacular art by Julien Pantz. Thanks to everyone who contributed!
Submissions for our next issue on the theme of ‘Character’ are open now!
No More Excuses – Only Action!
Issue 6 of The Apostrophe on the theme of ‘Excuses’ just dropped on Substack! The perk of being art editor for the HKWC’s quirky lit mag is not needing an excuse to connect with and showcase the talents of inspiring established and emerging visual artists! This edition features an ingenious scrabble poem cover by artist Rachel P Smith!
The theme for Issue 7 is ‘Action’. No more excuses – GO for it!


The Apostrophe – Food
Issue 5 of The Apostrophe is a tasty morsel of poetry, fiction and art! It’s always exciting to connect with new artists as art editor, especially when they are as quirky and talented as Victoria Mae Martyn and Andreas Vonbuddenbrock! Victoria’s kooky cover art is called ‘Corporate Coffee’ 😆 and Andreas’ stunning sketch of HK is called ‘Infinity’. Thanks to editors Jan Lee and Sam Powney, all the writers, poets and artists who made this our most striking edition yet!
The Apostrophe Issue 2 – MIND
Issue 2 of the Hong Kong Writers Circle‘s literary magazine The Apostrophe on the theme of ‘MIND‘ is live on Substack! Congratulations to the published writers and artists, including Rebecca Dandridge-Walker, Julian Pantz and Kasra Shroff! Submissions for Issue 3 close on Halloween 2023. The theme is ‘Mistake’ but this is a trick! The only mistake you can make is not entering!
umarell. art exhibition
Congratulations to my friend Charles Tang on his Hong Kong Art School graduation art exhibition at the Hong Kong Arts Centre in Wan Chai! Me and some middle-aged pals went along to support him and to remember how it feels to be young, an artist, and Chinese. We were blown away by ALL the incredible artwork on display by the talented graduates of Hong Kong Art School! Add oil – and whatever else you use to mix paint.
The exhibition, umarell., is open until 24 July. Go see it and support the next generation of emerging artists in Hong Kong while you can still afford to! It’s FREE! (But sadly this lot are way too talented for it to remain that way for long.)
When he’s not taking the art world by Typhoon Talim, Charles is an ambassador for Mental Ideas and one of the artists featured in the inaugural issue of The Apostrophe. He sometimes refers to me as his mentor. But only when he’s taking the piss.
The Apostrophe Issue 2 Open for Submissions!
Submissions for Issue 2 of the Hong Kong Writers Circle‘s quarterly online literary magazine The Apostrophe close 31 July. The theme for Issue 2 is ‘MIND‘; open to interpretation and wilful misinterpretation any way the writer, poet or artist chooses! The publication of Issue 2 is timed to coincide with World Mental Health Month! Thanks to Mind HK for allowing me to share with their community. Check out the submissions guide here and don’t forget to subscribe!










































