Pennine Ink: Burnley literary institution celebrates publication of 40th issue

Established in 1983, Pennine Ink Writers publishes around 70 poems and short stories across a wide range of styles, with the current editor, Alex Marsh, looking to continue's the magazine's strong literary past having taken over from Laura Sheridan, who had edited the magazine from its inception but left the post last year after moving to Berkshire.

"We have contributors and competition entries from all parts of the UK [and the] USA," said Alex. "The competition attracts a wide range of entries with the winner of [this edition's] £50 first prize being Janette Owen. Her winning entry was a moving short story about a woman's meeting with the child she had been forced to part with as a young mother fifty years previous.

"Like many of the items in the magazine it demonstrated how a few words could create a moving tale, or bring a memory to mind," added Alex, a former scientific education writer from Edenfield, Rossendale who meets with the other contributors every Monday except Bank holidays at the Woodman Inn on Todmorden Road.

Paying tribute to former editor Laura, Alex continued: "Pennine Ink owes a great deal to Laura for her hard work and the artwork which she continues to provide for the covers. We are now looking for poems and articles for our next magazine, and for entries for our competition for which details can be found on our website at www.pennineink.co.uk."