The first books from a new Aberystwyth publishing house are launching this September.

M2M (Margin to Margin) Books is a new publishers founded by author Gareth James last year, dedicated to creating books by and for marginalised communities.

This autumn, the writer turns publisher in debuting the first two books from M2M, a poetry anthology and a debut novel.

Known for his columns in the Cambrian News and as rum connoisseur at Irie’s Rum Bar in Aberystwyth, the venue will host the launch party for the books - poetry in I Zig and I Zag and novel, Love and Happiness, on Thursday 25 September.

James said: “The process has been intense but much assisted by the support of the Books Council of Wales, who have been accessible and massively helpful.

“Books about marginalised communities are not the same as books for marginalised communities.

“From whatever background readers are from, we hope our first editions, a poetry anthology and debut novel, will inform and entertain.”

I Zig and I Zag meanders through the disparate margins of society with a selection of accomplished UK-based poets, starting with 13 short poems including an ode to those no longer with us by Eric Ngalle Charles, and a myth-based piece on destruction and rebirth by Rosamund McCullain.

The anthology then launches into the eponymous 148-page poem by Masaka Madeda.

The piece is described as “at once a travelogue, a personal diary, a social observation, and a spiritual reflection, an unrelenting celebration of the mundane and the majestic”.

Love and Happiness is the debut novel by Gareth James, described as a “pacy” read, following the protagonist, the “formidable” Harriet Bush, a mixed-race adoptee growing up in North West England in the 1970s.

Pre-order the books on the M2M Books website - https://m2mbooks.com/