About Us
pallina
noun /pa’lːina/
a) a town between New Mirpur City (Azad Kashmir) and Kallar Syedan (Punajb).
b) a meeting point halfway between two locations.
a) the psychic mid-point between two minds.
b) a middle ground.
the Midlands.
History
In April 2019, Suna Afshan and Naush Sabah came together to collaborate on projects rooted in their love for poetry and a real desire to contribute to the literary culture of their city. Together, they co-founded Poetry Birmingham Literary Journal, then a quarterly magazine of contemporary poetry. In the intervening years, PBLJ has become one of the most respected poetry magazines in the UK; the design is inspired by the cultural heritage of the region, and its bold and thorough editorial approach is unique and ever-refreshing.
The monthly poetry workshop night, ‘Words @ the Warehouse’, run by VerseFirst, and hosted by poet and producer Adrian B. Earle, provided a regular setting for PBLJ issue launches at the Warehouse Café in Birmingham’s Digbeth. The night played host to a diverse and eclectic mix of poets: those who were previously unpublished, and some who present radio segments with various volumes of collected works behind them. The night, as well as the Warehouse Cafe, were all impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and we miss them dearly.
Poetry Birmingham was shortlisted in the Best Magazine category of the 2020 Saboteur Awards. Since November 2020, the journal is published twice a year and includes new work in poetry, translation and criticism.
Pallina Press
In February 2020, Suna and Naush co-founded Pallina Press to continue publishing and developing PBLJ. This journey has come to a point where Naush edits the magazine, and Suna is the Editor of Pallina—hello!
The Press is a small, independent love letter to poetry. Based in the Midlands, Pallina is committed to publishing exceptional contemporary writing and developing close, collaborative relationships with poets. The press was established from our shared belief in the absolutely transformative power of poetry, and a real desire to contribute meaningfully to the literary culture of the UK, and wider textual landscape.
The logo for Pallina is simply the word, pallina, set in Urdu Nastaliq. Nastaliq is one of the most celebrated calligraphic style used to write Persian and Arabic scripts, and is known for its rounded, flowing elegance, and hanging letterforms. It is read from right to left.
Our Mission
Every Pallina Press title will undergo a rigorous editorial process. We believe that poetry deserves attentive reading, thoughtful development, and meticulous care. Working closely with our authors, we will invest time in each manuscript, considering every line, image, and silence on the page. If you submit work, be prepared for a process of line edits.
We are dedicated to publishing poetry that is daring, authentic, and artistically accomplished. We actively seek out new and underrepresented voices and will be committed to supporting writers who face barriers within traditional publishing. Our identity is shaped by place, community, and a belief that outstanding poetry can emerge from anywhere.
We know publishing is both a literary and artistic practice. So, we will create books that are carefully edited, thoughtfully designed, and made to be treasured by readers and poets alike.
At Pallina Press, we believe poetry matters. Our mission is simple: to publish work of lasting value and to help exceptional poets reach the readers they deserve.
Submissions for the first set of Pallina Pamphlets will be open from the 1st June 2026. Read the submission guidelines on how to put together the best packet for publication. Contact us should you have any queries.