The Glad Rag is Glasgow’s art zine. It is the brainchild of the late Dan Bryant. Long before the Glad Cafe had a physical home, Dan was contributing his artistic talent to the project and suggested we put together a zine of artwork and writing similar to the one he created for his acceptance portfolio to Glasgow School of Art.

Dan was working on the content layout with his friend Andrew Bell, and planning the Glad Rag’s launch at the time of his tragic death in October 2011. It took us until March 2012, with the help of Andrew, to finally launch the first issue. We showcased new work from established writers Alan Bissett, Ewan Morrison, Alison Miller, and Suhayl Saadi, as well as rising stars like Kirsty Logan. On the launch night we were richly entertained by Alan Bissett’s performance from his Moira Monologues show.

It was in August 2012 that we at last opened the Glad Cafe in Shawlands – a cafe serving freshly prepared food, and a venue providing showcase space for talented musicians from Glasgow and beyond. In no time we found ourselves hosting not only musical events, but also art exhibitions, regular film screenings, talks, storytelling, and drama. It was high time to start thinking about a second issue of The Glad Rag.

Jamie Mac of Create Forty Eight joined our team as Art Editor and refreshed the design aesthetic calling upon his network of illustrators, photographers, and artists to create stunning final copy. 5,000 free copies were printed for distribution throughout the city and issue two was launched in the Glad Cafe venue with readings from Kirsty Logan and Richie McCaffery.

It has a new look and is a platform for new artists but some things remain: submission selection criterion is quality, and The Glad Rag is in constant memory of our friend Dan.

Hard copies are available across Glasgow and always in The Glad Cafe. Download and online viewing are available here. Send submissions to submissions@thegladrag.co.uk.

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