An introduction is always a difficult thing…


Why write poetry, why publish it? I could say something glib about birds or mountains, but that would be inaccurate at best, and cliched at worst. The reasons are complex and many. Let me just say to the first, we do because we must, and to the second, we do because we can. That is why, at their heart, with perhaps a thought to where our everyday experience and ordinary reveries entwine with eternals, like truth, like beauty, we, who choose this way, at our peril climb, and that is why, despite the savage heights, we sometimes soar.

Maximum Felix Media began as little more than a lark, a fairly innocuous pun on the Latin to use as my brand as I played with the possibilities of new digital media, creating digital books with sound and randomicity and text that moved on the page in new ways.

Of course as my work changed direction to more conventional formats, MFM became my default imprint for self-publishing. When the opportunity arose to help others in the online poetry community who also wanted to see their work in print, as, perhaps, both a nod towards eternity, and in the here-and-now a very tangible way of sharing their life, their thoughts, their love of words, their acts of creation, I was happy to offer my experience in bringing their books to fruition.

Which brings us to your present locale amongst the ever swirling pixels of our imaginary universe. And that is simply a convenient place to gather together for your convenience, my dear readers and poets, all of the works published by us so far in this old fashioned but most happy medium.

“From The Ashes” Poetry for Bushfire Relief: Call for Submissions


The 2019-2020 bushfire season has seen unprecedented destruction, as well as an unprecedented national and worldwide response.

To contribute to that effort, Maximum Felix Media is accepting poetry and short prose pieces that confront and reflect our shared experience of nature and humanity, in conflict and in unity.

All proceeds will go to supporting animal rescue and care. The vast destruction to bushland means countless animals will be without the habitat they rely on for shelter and sustenance for months, if not years, to come, until the bush has recovered.

“From The Ashes” will be edited by C S Hughes, and published by MFM Press in February/March of this year.

Submissions may be sent by email, to palmereldritch@maximumfelixmedia.com
Attachments in doc, docx, rtf and PDF formats are preferred, though poetry typed directly in the body of your email is also acceptable.

A maximum of three poems or short prose pieces may be submitted, up to forty lines per poem or 500 words for prose. We are happy to accept previously published works as long as they meet the broad requirements of our theme. Please indicate where they were previously published so we can provide proper acknowledgement.

We would also like to include a brief biographical note about yourself, that in some way touches on your relationship with our often harsh but always beautiful environment.

All submissions are due by midnight (AEST), Friday, 31st January.

Upon A Time A Tower Rose

By C S Hughes

Upon A Time A Tower Rose is a fairy story, a fable, a romance, an adventure, a poem and a mystery. Trapped in a tower in a valley by the sea a girl with a golden voice sings her heart out, guarded by large and noble bird. In a distant land driven by heartbreak and tragedy a young prince begins a quest in search of the girl with the golden voice. On the way he meets the self-satisfied, the villainous, the monstrous and the miraculous, and many a strange bird indeed.

What readers have said about this book

C.S. Hughes’ fairy-tale, Upon A Time A Tower Rose, harkens back to the time of the classic epics that shaped the literary world. True to the form of those original fairy-tales of the Brother’s Grimm, the story of Prince Michael’s pilgrimage is unflinching in its telling and filled with great wonder. Hughes’ rich prose is easily devoured in one sitting, but I recommend a more leisurely reading so that each deftly crafted sentence can be savored. I was delighted by the layout of the book; even in kindle form, the author has maintained the style of a picture book. The pages are artistic in their decoration without being elaborate or over-ornamental. A Tower Rose is a delightful diversion that will return even the most jaded adult to the innocence of their childhood.

A Dillard

A very delightful fable. A wonderful read.

F Reynolds

Where to purchase

Upon A Time A Tower Rose is available on Amazon via the link below, you can also find it on Book Depository, or contact the author directly.

The Art Of Knitting Needle Ikebana

By C S Hughes

A colorful look at the art of knitting needle ikebana. Inspired by the traditional art of Japanese flower display, but with influences from both the domestic world, in which the needles were originally used, and the technological, by which they were produced. This is a simple art and yet anyone who engages with the few basic principles of the form will be able to produce artworks, arrangements and sculptures in moments from the quirky and amusing, to the powerful and strikingly beautiful. The book includes chapters on the philosophy of the form, the concepts, the different techniques, as well as galleries of creations, with the purpose, above all, to inspire you to create your own.

Where to purchase

The Art Of Knitting Needle Ikebana is available via Amazon in paperback, hardback and ebook for Kindle.

The Book Of Whimsies

By C S Hughes

The Book Of Whimsies is a collection of gossamer thin poems in which you will find summer days and winter nights, dragonflies and storm borne kites, buttered scones and rusting tin, lost ships and weary hearts, green hills and untied shoes, cups of tea and sleepless nights, and floating above it all a benign and melancholy moon. The poems are mysterious as whispers, sometimes sad, sometimes high, but nearly always told with the poignancy of loss, the echoes of love, and with the knowledge that a whim may just as easily lead to dark and unexpected consequences.

What readers have said about this book

His words dance in an abounding radiance…

James Walton

A lovely book and a pleasure to read.

Teri Fitzgerald 

C S Hughes weaves a reed boat with words, and then sends the reader off onto a moonlit sea of imagery.

Marie Blake

This is a book of the unexpected. Many poems are observations of the familiar from a perspective that draws curtains from windows to reveal new appreciation. Some are koan-like, not so much in structure but in their effect. I have been writing and publishing poetry for decades and am delighted with this introduction of a poet new-to-me.

Kevin Taylor

Where to purchase

The Book Of Whimsies is available on Amazon via the link below, you can also find it on Book Depository, or contact the author directly.

The Poetry Of John Ashdown-Hill

A remarkable insight

Dr. John Ashdown-Hill is best known as an eminent historian, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, the author of twelve history books and numerous historical research articles. His work for the Looking for Richard Project was instrumental in the rediscovery of Richard III’s burial place in 2012, for which he was awarded an MBE in the 2015 Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

In 2016 Dr. Ashdown-Hill was diagnosed with a rare form of motor neurone disease, and this collection of his lifelong and private poetry, was his final project. Through its gentle humour, its thoughtful and passionate exploration of classical themes and exotic travels, its poignant and sometimes pointed look at significant events closer to home, we gain a rare insight into the elusive soul behind the well known historian. All proceeds from the sale of The Poetry Of John Ashdown-Hill will be donated to John’s chosen charity.

Available from

Amazon

Amazon Australia