Hi everyone,
As some may have already been aware I am closing my beloved Pilgrim down after 4 years. The reasons are many.
Over the years I’ve fought, very hard, to create something that supported new writers, and tried to get established writers and events to support them, that was always an ongoing struggle, and not one likely to change any time soon, and it has become impossible to navigate through a genre that no longer makes any sense. However, with what has been achieved since creating this little project in 2018 has been magnificent, and I am very proud of what has been accomplished. Over 12 issues, The Pilgrim has published over 50 writers, with many never having been published previously, we’ve serialised books, ran a magnificent school competition, art and photography exhibitions and so much more. To say I’m proud would be an understatement. However, time to move on and focus on myself after four years of neglect.
It’s been (mostly) a privilege to have worked with everyone on The Pilgrim, and amid the rare cases of abuse I’d received from certain areas and the public shunning from many who I’d considered to be my friends, running this project has been an absolute pleasure, and I hope that you’ve enjoyed the journey as much as I have?
I will cherish the friendships I have made during this time, and I hope that you all will join me on my new venture, the Wales Gothic Society, in which there will be a new publication, The Gothic Revival. This project will contain many of the elements of The Pilgrim, but if there’s a link with the 18th century onwards, then it opens doors wide open to possibilities, and include more fiction. I am looking to launch this in the spring of 2023 and I hope that people will join me there.
As the final issue of The Pilgrim was a print issue, there are a few issues left, so if you’d like to grab a souvenir then they are currently in the shop at the reduced price of £5. They are very nice, I will admit!
I am currently in the process of archiving the website, so I hope that no one’s work will be lost, and the entire 12 issues of The Pilgrim will be available via National Library of Wales shortly, with the print issue being available at The British Library.
So, without further ado, I say adieu.
Tom
Tom Stanger
Founder and Editor of Pilgrim House, currently undertaking a research degree at Bangor University and working on a book on Folklore and early Welsh Christianity. Tom’s other work on music, poetry, health along other writings and images can be found at tomasstanger.com
