Published in Issue 22 of Visionary Tongue, Summer 2007.

‘In Between Hangovers’ is a charming little slice of lively angst, perfect for those days when the world seems irredeemably dark and depressing (or is that just me?). It describes itself as ‘a dark street poetry magazine’ and it certainly is a long way away from the dominant formal mode of literary publications. ‘This is not a pretty mag,’ declares the back cover, ‘we favour the dark, the crazy, the drunken, the funny and the downright ridiculous.’ And this is indeed a journey through the raw and the difficult: scars, tattoos, affliction, pain, addiction and the ubiquitous nature of suffering. What stops it from being annoyingly adolescent and whiney is the genuine, deep emotion that the poets have engendered in their work, the honest and passionate feeling. Its vividness stands out from the pale and insipid offerings of some ‘serious’ lit mags, corseted as they sometimes can be in convention. But having said that, although the cover picture is deliciously provocative – a pretty little Miss Suicide – there is little here that is truly shocking. There is but a modest sprinkling of naughty words and subjects, that only the stiffest of prudes could find offensive, but then, they are surely not this magazine’s target audience.
The contributors are international and the quality of the work runs a wide gamut: there are some tender moments, though it is also sometimes guilty of the unjustifiably obtuse. This is however, a small gripe. ‘In Between Hangovers’ is an enjoyable ramble on the dark side, ‘Come join us in the gutter.’ You might surprise yourself!

Review by Mia Hart-Allison