Graduate Interview: Dan Hunt and Tom Wilkins Editing for GreenTeeth Press
Besties Dan and Tom at the 2019 graduation.
Tell us what have you been up to since graduating from Falmouth?
Dan Hunt – Immediately afterward graduating, I did what most do and went back home to live with my parents in Bridlington. But with friends moving to Oxford and my girlfriend also going to study a Publishing MA at Oxford Brookes, I moved to the dreaded South and have since been working at a maritime and energy communications consultancy called BLUE Communications. Working so far in-land seems like an odd place to work in the maritime industry, and definitely isn’t where I expected to be, but it’s be a great experience in picking up new skills and working with global environmental agencies to help make a difference from the comfort of a camp chair.
Tom Wilkins – Well, Dan followed me home to Oxford and I’d heard he was working in the maritime sector, so I wanted to find an industry that was as far away from his as possible. This led to me working at Airbus Helicopters, a company that chose not to furlough all their staff during the pandemic, which has supported me whilst living back home with my family and girlfriend. Though of course, I’ve been finding time to be creative on the side.
How did you become involved with Greenteeth Press?
Both – We’ve known the founder, Imogen, since its conception; it all started in York St John’s university at the same time when we were studying at Falmouth. What started as Dan doing some freelance graphic design work – designing banners, book covers, and anything else they needed while starting out – ended up in lots of nights at the pub screaming about what should happen next and spit balling endless ideas that would never be used. Until one stuck.
We didn’t want to drastically change what the press had done previously, but we still wanted to do something different that would attract a large amount of interest. Settling on an anthology, we decided to coordinate a series of poetry and prose submissions that orientated round a subject that fascinated us, but we couldn’t see it working without the inclusion of something we both felt passionately about: graphic novels and comics.
What is exciting about this indie publisher?
Tom – We’re involved.
Dan – Greenteeth knows that it can be difficult to get a foot in the door for first-time writers and those aspiring in the publishing industry, so they wanted to offer a space that would give opportunities to people of diverse backgrounds who might not otherwise get near a traditional publisher. The business is born from a “do it yourself” mentality that wanted to make affordable books that are accessible to any sort of people, both in price and the content within them. They promote upcoming writers and those who’ve not had chance to do this kind of thing before – having the ability to put their name to a project that they can be proud of, share, and show as legitimate experience.
As an independent publishing house, GreenTeeth Press is committed to publishing poetry and prose from writers of underrepresented backgrounds.
You’ll be editing their third anthology and it looks like it’s going to be a special one. Can you tell us more about it?
Dan – Their first anthology project was based around folklore and landscape, reflecting the founder’s origins in the North. Their second looked at eldritch horror and terrifying tales that to creep out the reader. Since then, Greenteeth has branched out and started working with other people to support their collaborative approach to how they run a publishing house.
Tom – So, we thought that we'd depart from Greenteeth’s more fantastical and mythic past, and move to a sci-fi setting. We both love this genre – Dan with his Cowboy Bepop (is that what’s it’s called?), and myself with a great interest in Firefly, as well as the best musical ever adapted from book – the War of the World.
What kind of work would you like to see come through from our Falmouth community?
Dan – We’re looking for real variety in this anthology, writers who really understand the theme and can underpin the ideas that support retrofuturism. Poetry and prose are the most common form of submission, but flash fiction is of real interest. Sci-fi is a great genre to delve into the weird and whacky segments of the imagination – there’s a lot of freedom to be creative and we want to see how far people can go with, whilst keeping in mind the retrofuturism brief. A blend of ‘retro’ styles and new technology that explores the tension of past and future, there’s a deep anticipation of how technology and space itself can be alienating to humans.
Tom – The main thing I’m looking forward to is the artwork – we're opening up submissions for the first time to single page comics. I can’t count the amount of graphic novels in my collection and I know that most artists will see this as a useful and engaging challenge. When you say retro sci-fi to someone they will almost immediately have an imagine in their head of what that means. It’s such a visual genre and I can’t wait to see what people can produce.
What do you think will be the most interesting or challenging parts of editing an anthology?
Tom – Honestly – without sounding too sappy – I think the hardest part will be having to choose which work makes the cut. I’m sure we'll get loads of brilliantly written work but there’s only so many pages – it’s going to be a challenge sorting through it all.
Dan – Juggling full-time day jobs with side-projects is difficult. It is definitely that moment where you realise: I cannot dedicate all my time to this, I have to do my grown-up commitments first. It sounds obvious, but spending weekends, or sacrificing an evening for a passion project is sometimes hard. So far, we’ve juggled time quite well as a team, we’ve had a massive amount of support from Imogen at Greenteeth as we sneak away on a lunchbreak to do jobs here-and-there, but the hard part will be when submissions close. There’s a lot to do in the making of a book, and when it’s not a huge team like we are, it’s down to us to organise it. Time management will be key.
How did Falmouth University and our community help you prepare for this experience?
Dan – Contacts and friends, for sure. Knowing the right people to do you a favour, or point you in the right direction and lend a helping hand – I wouldn’t be doing this without Tom! But for those who I didn’t meet in a first-year icebreaker session, keeping that network isn’t easy after university. You get caught up in your own world. You don’t realise how much is at your fingertips in Falmouth, so try and make use of that and keep the important people close.
Tom – How didn’t they! (Toms laughs – just leave it there, that’ll be funny)
What would be your advice to our current student about life after university?
Dan – There’s no rush. It’s taken a year for me to realise this, but there’s no rush. The world feels pretty stagnant right now but take it as a sign to slow down. Running off to travel or get that career-defining job doesn’t have to happen in your early 20s. You’ll have been in education for over 15 years by the time you graduate, so work at your own pace – there’s no right or wrong answer to what you do. If you just want to work a shop job or pull pints at the local pub for a while, there’s nothing wrong with that. On the other hand, if there’s nothing stopping you, why not take that opportunity you once looked twice at and decided wasn’t for you.
Tom – Like Dan said – everyone’s going at their own pace – and if you think you’re moving slowly just remember that the person behind you probably thinks you’re miles ahead.
What other projects are in the works? Interesting reads you’re working through?
Dan – At Falmouth, running the Lit Night poetry open mic with Jamie Andrews was really important to me, and a lot of fun. We talked about it and agreed that I would try to kickstart it back to life but in Oxford. Same name, slightly different logo, but the exact same event series with some Falifornia charm. Like everyone, the pandemic kind of screwed with those plans a little bit and we only got two Lit Night events in before lockdown. As soon as possible, I’d love to get that going again and can’t wait to hear spoken-word performed again.
Tom – I really enjoyed helping Dan out with running the Oxford Lit Nights – but alas Covid hit and we couldn’t host anymore.
My girlfriend recently graduated in screenwriting at Bournemouth University, and as a way to get rid of our writers block we decided to write the pilot of a series about Boudicca. We’re in the planning stages currently but its been a lot of fun so far. I’ve also got a comic in the pipeline, but I don’t want to jinx it.
What do you miss from Falmouth?
Tom – I honestly just miss being able to walk five minutes to see all of my friends – it’s been a real challenge keeping up contact with everyone but when you do eventually see them again it’s like nothing has changed.
I also miss having the time to just sit down and write something – it wasn’t a matter of making time for it or writing bits here and there. Nowadays with a full time job it’s difficult but having projects like the anthology are a perfect excuse. Also, the Meat Counter – I’ve yet to have a better burger.
Dan – The beach. I miss being ten minutes from the sea, and the freedom to have a spontaneous beach barbecue at the drop of a hat. I see people on social media that are still down in Cornwall, and miss watching the waves – clifftop walks – a pasty by the harbour – sitting on the sand. It was a great place to live. But I agree with Tom, also Meat Counter. God bless the Notorious B.I.G burger.
Keep in touch with Dan at @dan_the_hunt and with Tom @Tom_J_Wilkins.
Call for Submissions for Dan and Tom’s edited anthology with GreenTeeth Press
Inspired by retro-futurism, we turn our attention to an era of chrome ray guns and murderous artificial intelligence. Science fiction that is ripped from the page of a post-war comic book, imagining far off planets and a doomed future where astronauts hurtle through galaxies never to return…
From bustling and bizarre space odysseys, to the infinite void of being alone in the cosmos, we want your submissions to fill our next anthology, telling tales of wonder and amazement in a retro sci-fi universe.
We are looking for…
Prose of no more than 500 words
Poetry of no more than 50 lines
Flash Fiction of no more than 50 words
And for the first time, Greenteeth Press will also be accepting submissions for one-page graphic novels, comics, and illustrations. These must be limited to monochrome / black and white colouring, and in B-format (198 x 129mm / 7.8 x 5.07 inches) page size.
All written submissions must be formatted in an attached Word Document or PDF file, and illustrative pieces sent as PNG files for optimised transfer.
The anthology title and cover will be revealed soon. For any further questions, please do not hesitate to reach out via email or social media.
Submit your work to greenteethsubmissions@gmail.com by midnight (12am BST) on Friday 16th September 2020.
About Greenteeth Press
Greenteeth Press is an independent publishing house, founded in 2018, committed to publishing poetry and prose from writers of underrepresented backgrounds. They believe that books should be accessible for everyone, so the pricing model sees that no title is priced above the National Minimum Wage. You can find out more by visiting their website or following them on Twitter @greenteethpress.
by FalWriting