"Conceived as a response to the Next Gen Poets, our Alt-Gen issue showcases thirteen collections published by the small presses in the last decade" (p.6). "Our intention was to mirror the Next Gen initiative as far as possible but to adapt it for the small presses and make the process more inclusive and transparent" (p.9). It was noted that when a publisher submitted a book to the NextGen campaign, they were risking a commitment of 600 pounds, which disadvantaged small presses.
One of the judges, Maggie Hannan, imagined she might find several new poets but "was instead struck by how many of the names were familiar and by how predictable much of the output was". "There is no doubt the small presses pick up some of the overspill from the larger presses and this would seem to be their first and most natural activity" (p.26).
Both Hannon and Matthew Clegg mention Helen MacDonald's Shaler's Fish (etruscan books, 2001). The less experimental Jackie Wills is listed too. The editors of "Five leaves press", "Wrecking ball press", "Shoestring press", and "etruscan books" each have little articles.
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