New Paris Lit Mag: Belleville Park Pages

As I've mentioned before, Paris still has quite a lively and interesting literary community of expats, many of whom read their work at open-mic nights around town, like Paris Lit Up on Thursday nights. Now, two poets from this community, James Bird and Will Cox, are bringing the scene to readers all over the world with the just-launched literary publication Belleville Park Pages.

Inspired by a particularly memorable poets' picnic at Belleville Park before one of the open-mic events, Belleville Park Pages seeks to bring poetry and other short works to readers at a near-breakneck speed (with issues released every two weeks) and at an affordable cost (2€ a pop) to poor lit lovers like me and, perhaps, you.

"Most other literary publications are released every 3, 6, 12 months and cost €15-€25. This is a lump sum that many cannot afford," say the guys. "We wanted our publication to be frequent to give more writers a chance to be printed and to emphasize the fluidity of writing today." With BPP, Bird and Cox hope to "invigorate the current writing community in Paris," bringing to mind the exciting Lost Generation that used to inhabit Paris and hopefully revive that spirit in the city again.

What I love about Belleville Park Pages, aside from its price, is that it's folded like a map, with "each ‘Page’ hand stamped to make each issue personal to the reader." It's slim and small, fitting perfectly into a back pocket or purse with ease. Yet despite (or perhaps because of) its size, and the brevity of its poems and stories, the format encourages focused, deep reading of its content. Pulling out this little piece of modern literature on the train, for example, you can dive into deep thoughts and other worlds within the span of a few Métro stops.

If you're in Paris, you can snap up a copy at one of the many lit events around town (like the open-mic nights at Au Chat Noir or Paris Lit Up at Culture Rapide), as well as at The Abbey Bookshop and Shakespeare & Co. If you're outside of Paris, order a copy at the Belleville Park Pages website. For all the poets and writers out there, head to the submissions page for details.

"We want any work that is being created now, work that modern writers are proud of and want to be read," say the BPP boys. If you're a writer or a reader, check out the Belleville Park Pages and become part of the community.

(All images via Belleville Park Pages)