Our Story
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 The night played host to a diverse and eclectic mix of poets: those who were previously unpublished, and some who present radio segments with various volumes of collected works behind them.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, through voice notes and instant messages exchanged in the early days of the pandemic, Suna and Naush co-founded Pallina Press. Their first aim was to take the printing of PBLJ out of the hands of Amazon’s inconsistent KDP platform and bring to the page, paper, and print process the same care and attention they had long given to poets.
Pallina Press began as a small, independent love letter to poetry. We have always sought to publish outstanding contemporary writing while building thoughtful, collaborative relationships with poets. At its heart is a shared belief in poetry’s capacity to transform how we see and inhabit the world, and a commitment to enriching the literary culture of the UK and beyond.
The pandemic that accompanied Pallina’s founding also altered its course. When Suna became ill with Covid, Pallina's work was placed on hold, and the partnership at its centre evolved in new directions. Naush continued with the urgent work of PBLJ as an independent publishing venture, while Pallina entered a period of relative dormancy…
Looking Ahead
In 2026, Suna has relaunched Pallina with a renewed purpose, carrying that history and looking forward to the work ahead. This rebrand centres on a logo that reflects an investment in language, form, and literary tradition at a time when history, our relation to the past, and the very human impulse to create is under increasing threat. The logo presents the word pallina in Urdu Nastaliq, a celebrated calligraphic style known for its flowing elegance, rounded forms, and suspended letterforms. Read from right to left, Nastaliq brings together text and image, reminding us that writing is not only something we read, but something we see.
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, Suna 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.
Pallina is dedicated to publishing poetry that is daring, authentic, and artistically accomplished. Suna is actively seeking 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 Suna should you have any queries.