The Verbivore emerges, prognathous and slavering, from its cocoon, having consumed four festschrifts and fifteen books, ravenous for further reading material on the exploratory and the outré. To appease its needs, we have assembled the first in a proposed series of VP Annuals, miscellanies of essay, creative non-fiction, and author interviews. The first issue contains responses to the work of Christine Brooke-Rose, Jeff Nuttall, Leon Forrest, Gabriel Josipovici, Gilbert Adair, Clarence Major, Katrina Palmer, Jeff Bursey, and Jacques Roubaud. Also included are interviews with celebrated critic and literary historian Steven Moore, magical surrealist Rikki Ducornet, and word-drunk iconoclast Alexander Theroux, plus a light-hearted review of last year's small press releases. "This temporarily sates my craving. However, by the time you have read this, I will already be on the loose ravenously snacking on more novels than you can squash inside your bathtub." - The Verbivore