Daps 2011
One of the first books I ever worked on was a small production called Daps. Back then I didn't edit for money – I was still a student. Daps is a creative writing anthology published annually by students at the University of Glamorgan. It showcases the best writing talent each year and many contributors have gone on to be highly successful authors. Just a few of the notable figures to have had works appear in Daps include Trevor Byrne, Rachel Tresize and Maria Donovan (who wrote the back-cover review for my book, Twictions). Daps is a chance for students to learn about the publishing industry first hand – while lecturers will assist if asked, students are wholly responsible for sourcing submissions, weeding out the weakest pieces, then editing, typesetting and producing the book each year.
With a history now spanning eleven years, the most recent edition (released March 22nd 2011) has a lot to live up to. The first thing I noticed when I picked up this year's copy at the launch party on Tuesday was how slim it was. In recent years there has been a trend towards including as much as possible in order to showcase the widest range of talent. The editors this year have trimmed the book back to more managable 82 pages. In doing so the editorial team were able to reduce the printing cost and thus the retail cost this year is only £3 – down from last year's £5. Of the 16 pieces represented in the anthology, "Self-Analysis" by David Langdon was my favourite, closely followed by Alexander Breathnach's "Boxes". Langdon's introspective tale managed to cram an astounding number of surprising twists into such a short piece while Breathnach's work was highly reminsicent of sci-fi classics revolving around the ethics of cloning. Both of these authors have the potential to be big names in a few years. Another highly powerful piece was Charmaine Hanratty's non-fiction retelling of the harrowing abuse she underwent in 1970s South Africa. With "Timol Heights" Hanratty elegently conveys her own defiance against unjust laws and gives a glimpse into Apartheid not usually encountered.
Make no mistake, this is a student production – there are editorial mistakes, misplaced apostrophes and the occaisional typo but don't forget either that these anthologies are produced to enable volunteers to learn about the processes involved in book publication. Daps is a opportunity for all involved to develop skills and showcase excellent writing. It is not a professional level publication and should not be judged as such.
For anybody interested in catching new writers at the very beginning of their careers I would advise purchasing a copy – you never know, one of this years authors may be the next Dan Rhodes or Ross Raisin!
