Follow The Leader, Leader, Leader...* www.minus9squared.wordpress.com

* http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=342126916106&ref=ts

* http://twitter.com/minus9squared

* http://issuu.com/minus9squared

* http://www.ideastap.com/groupdetail.aspx?groupid=601

Hello!

And welcome to the very first issue of Minus 9 Squared, where, though you might think the opposite, we know positively nothing about maths and even less about everything else. We do, evidently, like Cabaret though.

Everything about M9S has come together ever so swimmingly over the past month. We have been inundated with submissions and have bought shares in Panadol for the headaches we suffered while trying to whittle them down to something manageable.

To those whose work is published, congratulations, we hope this sets you on your merry way towards fame, fortune and the plugging our good selves whenever you get the chance. To those we haven't published, don't feel too badly about it, the standard of work we got was so high that it was almost impossible to leave work out but alas, we simply had to. The spacing fairy with the scissors and the dour demeanour was giving us the evils...

Theres a little bit of everything in this first issue. In addition to our short fiction, poetry and photography, we also have some stunning visual art and even a travel guide should any of us come into some money and decide to jet off somewhere warm.

In a way, Place is a particularly good theme for this first Issue ofMinus 9 Squared. Despite what our glorious front cover displays, Place is not just about the physical entity, its about our own place within that entity, and we have found that a number of our contributors are not sure about theirs. We hope that, if nothing else, this magazine gets people to think about these things.

We hope you enjoy this first issue, add us to your download list and ensure that we aren't just a one hit wonder.

Anna HayesEditor

1CONTENTS . . .Photography

Aran Bird Orla McGovern

Bullock Harbour Anthony Fortune

Devil In The Detail Souljacker Ltd

Life In The Big City Gerard Lough

South Korea Paul Staunton

Poetry

Plum Ciara Burke

This Number Does Not Exist Ben Gwalchmai

Delusions of Grandeur Michael Fogarty

Chaos To Silence Francis Reilly

The Space Ed Harris

Concrete Mark Lonergan

Negligence & Punishment Steven Brennan

Battlefields Dead Sarah Page

You Enter The Woods Alexandra Watson

On Bridges Michael Naghten Shanks

7

10

19

18

26

4

4

10

11

12

24

25

25

29

30

2Short Fiction

The City Speaks AJ Kirby

That Night at the Manos de Dios Michael Wendling(An Extract)

Double Negatives Anna Hayes

The Secret Tree Rebecca Long

Theatre

Waiting On The Z-Train Sean Tyler

Visual Arts

Persephone Liela Peacock

No Place Like Home Vicky Lennie

Lisboa Pedro Rodrigues

Untitled Artwork Gary Meynell

5

22

13

27

8

3

16

20

30

Persephone

3

4Plum

This Number Does Not Exist

5The City SpeaksBy AJ Kirby

Alan

6

7If

Aran Bird -

Waiting On The Z Train

Times Square, New York - Photograph by Sean Tyler

8

Waiting On The Z TrainExtracts from Waiting on the Z Train a play by Sean Tyler

9

10

Bullock HarbourFrom "The Last Polaroids of Dublin"By Anthony Fortune

Delusions of Grandeur

11

Chaos To Silence

12

The Space

13

Double NegativesBy Anna Hayes

Its three oclock in the morning. Leave me alone.

To dream of losing teeth is a sign that a marriage proposal will go awry. Goodnight.

14

15

16

17

18

Life In The Big CityBy Gerard Lough

19

Devil In The Detailby The Ambience Affair

20

21

22

That Night at the Mano de DiosAn Extract

By Mike Wendling

23

That Night at the Mano de DiosAn Extract

24

Concrete

25

Negligence and Punishment

Battlefields Dead

26

South Korea

27

The Secret TreeBy Rebecca Long

28

You Enter The Woods

29

On Bridges

30

Contributors

Front Cover: Pedro Rodrigues

31