a space between

March 2026

The world hasn’t made up its mind yet – at least not here in Scotland. One moment there’s a glow of warmth in the air, and the garden seems like the place to be; the next, the heating’s up high, and the chill lingers. But spring is coming, and you don’t need to look too hard now to find the evidence.

Here at Gutter, we’re starting to think about our next issue already. It’s still a long way off, but preparations begin early – and we’ll have more on that in a moment.

Up on our website, you’ll find a couple of new pieces this month. The first is an essay we published in Issue #33. It’s by Louise Gray, called ‘Hunger’, and it begins with this striking sentence: ‘When my mother died she was still learning to cook.’

The essay is a superb exploration of memory, grief and the author’s relationship with food.

I know these recipes are written by my mother because I have seen letters she wrote. She had a habit of putting the cross bar for t flying in the air rather than through the vertical line, giving the impression she was always in a hurry. The recipes she wrote are dashed off in note form and stained with splatters from a busy kitchen. It is clear she is just getting started, and then it peters out.

You can read the full essay here.

Also online is our Book of the Month review, which this month celebrates a debut poetry collection by Sarah Stewart. Devour Everything brings together poems that, according to reviewer Roshni Gallagher, ‘hover in a space between creation and loss.’ (And thanks to Roshni for this month’s newsletter title.)

The review concludes that Stewart ‘captures the smallness of our individual lives while honouring the depth of emotion, tragedy, and splendour within them.’ Have a read here.

Lastly, with Issue #34 on our minds, we’ll soon be announcing our next two Guest Editors. Thanks to everyone who applied for these roles, we’ll be getting back to you all very soon. We’ll also be opening our submissions window any day now, so take a look at our website for details. We’re looking forward to reading your work.