Caught by the River – a pleasingly slippery concept best defined when Robert Macfarlane described it as "a true confluence of currents" – began as an idea, a vision and a daydream shared between friends one languid bankside spring afternoon.
Now in its fourteenth year, Caught by the River is ever-morphing, widening its tastes and pool of contributors. The site – and its various offshoots, including gigs, festival stages and the Rivertones record label – host work in many forms and flavours, be it of a musical, poetic, creative non-fictional, photographic or illustrative description, or otherwise.
Lots of you have written to us over the years asking how you could support our work — and some of you already have, and do, through the PayPal Donation button on our website; the introduction of which has made our first regular paid features possible, and kept us from the jaws of precarity, for which we are inexpressibly grateful. Whilst the existing PayPal system will remain in place, this more comprehensive membership system will allow us to offer you a range of perks in exchange for your dosh. Its ultimate aim is to generate more generous fees for a greater range of features, allowing our excellent community of writers to keep writing, and to keep growing. It will also ensure the ongoing financial security needed to keep the site and newsletter free, in their current forms, for all.
Whether you've read, written, clinked pints with us, or become a subscriber: thank you, from the silty depths of our hearts. Here's to 14 more years, and beyond.
Jeff, Andrew, Diva & Robin