Indie Spotlight on Cheerio

By Priyanka Joshi, Jess Fisher, William Swift and Elizabeth Haslam

Cheerio Publishing was launched in 2020 in association with The Estate of Francis Bacon. It is an independent press and film production company that commissions innovative and unusual ideas to new audiences. In relation to the name of the press, Cheerio states that it is “a nod to Bacon’s favourite drinking toast, and our logo takes inspiration from Bacon's art; the lightbulb, a recurring motif in his paintings, is one of the few objects that is never distorted in his work”.

Cheerio aims to publish and produce material that relates to or is inspired by Bacon’s life and work, ranging from essay collections to books and films. The company was launched by Clare Conville, long-term publisher at Penguin Random House and eventual co-founder of the C&W literary agency. She is also one of the directors of the Curious Arts Festival. Harriet Vyner is now also joint Director of the press and media company. Vyner is an author and curator who has recently been working on a series of filmed interviews for The Estate of Francis Bacon.

Notable Reads

Cowboy by Kandace Siobhan Walker

Shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection, this captivating and poignant poetry debut draws on and upheaves tradition as Walker explores what it means to grow up as a millennial.

A sense of place is a powerful overarching theme permeating this text as the author moves restlessly from page to page; geographically from rural Wales to London to the American South; emotionally from childhood to adolescence; and within the realms of the internet.

Speaking to this generation and the next, this collection’s themes are based on what lies beneath contemporary life. References to early noughties television shows, pop culture, memes, video games and cities abound in this collection, bringing a complex mixture of joy, anxiety and pressure to this striking debut.

Kit by Megan Barker

This beautiful story unflinchingly describes the complicated, wild, and intimate nature of life through the relationship between Megan and Kit. Years after meeting in their early twenties and developing an intense friendship, Kit becomes desperately ill. Megan tries to draw Kit back while staying present in the wonderful mess of her family life.

In this heartfelt novel, Megan Barker forces readers to confront the intricacies, horrors and shame that go hand-in-hand with unconditional love and loss. After writing several plays and song lyrics, this novel, written as a rolling prose poem, is this author’s first foray into the world of novels.

Shopping Lists: A Consuming Fascination by Ingrid Swenson

Several years ago, Ingrid Swenson started collecting shopping lists from a North London Waitrose. These private, domestic notes detail an individual’s weekly shopping and invite readers to consider their private world. Under Swenson’s careful hand, this compilation of domestic banality becomes a fascinating, enlightening and funny collection of poetry.

Swenson’s long history with artists and art institutions enabled this unique collection of found shopping lists to form the basis of a 2017 exhibition at the Art Workers’ Guild, which provided a profound insight into the lives of ordinary Londoners.

New Releases

Mrs Jekyll by Emma Glass

As Rosy Winters, a schoolteacher, comes to terms with her own mortality, she discovers a “knot” in her chest. Navigating relationships with her supportive husband and not-so-supportive sister-in-law, Rosy’s mysterious sense only grows.

Published in June 2024, Glass brings readers along through a whirlwind of a novel exploring femininity, acceptance and murderous intentions. Glass’ protagonist is a reflection of what fear can bring out in an individual and the strength in the feminine. Readers should prepare for the disturbing nature, the thrills and the introspective dialogue that Glass brings forth in her third novel.

Who Will Make the Fire by Greta Bellamacina

This noteworthy new release reached shelves in late June 2024 as a collaboration between CHEERIO and New River Press. Who Will Make The Fire is an introspective, elemental masterpiece on the nature of recovery. Using fire, earth and nature, Bellamacina travels with readers through an animistic experience in a thought-provoking work. This collaboration speaks to CHEERIO’s porous genre boundaries. With a mission statement that promises to “intrigue,” “disturb” and “thrill,” Bellamacina’s work brings both the classic CHEERIO sense of intrigue and a personal and meaningful exploration.

Art is Magic (Paperback Edition) by Jeremy Deller

With the paperback edition released in June of 2023, activist and artist sensation Jeremy Deller walks readers through his life, work and the contemporary art scene in all its mediums. This recent edition commissioned by CHEERIO comes with additional content not included in the hardcover release.

Perhaps a new release that remains most faithful to the legacy of Francis Bacon; Deller takes on Britain today, and his boundary-pushing, endlessly creative work.