Black Warrior Review – Fall/Winter 2003

The thirtieth anniversary edition of BWR starts out strong with “Mother of Pearl Clouds,” a poem by Larissa Szporluk that ends with a line articulating what is possibly the impetus of all art: “let’s not let them / think that we’re just passing.” And it just gets better from there, offering fiction, nonfiction, interviews and a chapbook, all of which are smart and enjoyable.

The thirtieth anniversary edition of BWR starts out strong with “Mother of Pearl Cloud,” a poem by Larissa Szporluk that ends with a line articulating what is possibly the impetus of all art: “let’s not let them / think that we’re just passing.” And it just gets better from there, offering fiction, nonfiction, interviews and a chapbook, all of which are smart and enjoyable. Take Elizabeth Wetmore’s “How to Lose 30 Lbs. In 30 Days!” for instance, a refreshingly honest look at the disillusionment of wifehood; I found myself proclaiming Brilliance! after reading the following excerpt: “. . . you lean against the refrigerator, wondering if ‘cut it out’ is really an appropriate response from a licensed therapist and wrapping the phone cord around your pinkie until it turns dark red then dark purple, a shade so pretty it occurs to you that you might paint the bedroom this color and you imagine yourself at Home Depot wrapping a rubber band around and around your pinkie.” Featuring full-color art by the mysteriously-named Mr. Hooper, whose ultra-contemporary work is both comic and disturbing, this publication is sustenance for your head, doled out in easy-to-digest doses. Pour yourself an absinthe and tuck right in. [Black Warrior Review, Box 862936,Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35486.E-mail: [email protected]. Single issue $8.00. http://www.webdelsol.com/bwr/] – SRP