Stand

a magazine of poetry, criticism, and prose fiction begun in mimeographed form by Jon Silkin in 1952. Silkin's early editorials established Stand's abiding concern with the social functions of literature, a topic which has been vigorously discussed within its page by contributors with differing views; in 1979 the magazine entered into a debate with PN Review over the political implications of various modes of poetry. Raymond Williams and E. P. Thompson are among the notable authors who have supplied articles of socio-cultural commentary; in 1967 Terry Eagleton became the principal reviewer of new poetry. Silkin, who continues to edit Stand, has published verse by many poets in the early stages of their careers as well as featuring poems from established authors, including Michael Hamburger, Douglas Dunn, Geoffrey Hill, Jeffrey Wainwright, Tony Harrison, and George MacBeth. B. S. Johnson, Tom Pickard, and Angela Carter are among the authors whose prose has been featured. The magazine is valued for its international perspective, which has resulted in special attention to writing from Eastern Europe, Peru, Turkey, Holland, and elsewhere. Based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne since 1965, Stand is published quarterly. Silkin edited an anthology of poems from the magazine's first twenty years entitled Poetry of the Committed Individual, which appeared in 1973.