Devin McGrath

Jacob, it’s almost two years since we were first introduced to the brilliant Popshot, what’s been your personal highlight since launching the first issue?

The biggest highlight has been watching the magazine grow and evolve. I haven’t tried to push the magazine itself in any particular direction so whenever anything changes it’s because it feels like the magazine asked for it! Gaining international distribution a couple of issues ago was amazing and receiving emails from people who had picked up copies in Hawaii or Brazil or Singapore. The most recent personal highlight has been launching The Print Shop and knowing that those prints will be mounted on people’s walls.

Mydeadpony

You’ve worked with over 100 artists in the last two years, how did you go about choosing your favourites for the new print shop?

The criteria was that they had to be powerful, poignant and be able to tell a story without the aid of the poem they were created in response to. I think they work amazingly on their own and they start to take on their own story, especially when they’re blown up to the size that they are (675mm x 550mm). Some of the themes are more obvious than others but I like to think that all six images can stop and make you wonder what it’s all about for a little while.

City Abyss

How do you see the print shop progressing? Is it an add-on for fans of the publication, or could you see it evolving into something that could help promote the work of up and coming artists?

I would love it if it evolved into something that could help get beautiful work into people’s homes whilst supporting illustrators at the same time. At the moment we’re just thinking of it as an add-on that if successful could progress into something greater. There’s not a huge central hub for people to go and buy illustration prints from and the thought of becoming that hub has crossed our minds. I like to think we’re well qualified to do it but probably best to watch some sort of space…

Sam Green

The print shop covers the illustration side of things, how about the poetry? You’ve helped promote some events haven’t you? Can we expect your own events, podcasts, festivals?

We’ve sponsored/helped promote a few events in the last year or so and there’s a couple more in the pipeline. The Popshot blog is constantly keeping up with what we think are the most interesting things going on in poetry and obviously the magazine publishes what we think is beautiful written work. There are no immediate plans as yet to create any Popshot only events but we love being able to support events that we believe in. The most recent one was a live poetry & illustration event at Kings Place in London. It doesn’t get much more relevant than that!

Esra Røise

The Popshot Print Shop is live now, and the magazine’s S/S 2011 issue is also available here.