Diner – 2006

When considering how to describe Diner, some words that come to mind are grit, greasy spoon, kitsch (in the irresistible way of roadside diners, Frida Kahlo) and funky. From the dark blue cover with its diner photos (table and chairs in front of a window reading “breakfast, lunch, dinner”; juke box; cherry pie; Bunn coffee maker) to a variety of poems and stories, many of which seem unlikely to find homes in more conventional journals, this issue of Diner made me nostalgic for things I didn’t know I missed.

When considering how to describe Diner, some words that come to mind are grit, greasy spoon, kitsch (in the irresistible way of roadside diners, Frida Kahlo) and funky. From the dark blue cover with its diner photos (table and chairs in front of a window reading “breakfast, lunch, dinner”; juke box; cherry pie; Bunn coffee maker) to a variety of poems and stories, many of which seem unlikely to find homes in more conventional journals, this issue of Diner made me nostalgic for things I didn’t know I missed. Some poems are odd, emotional, and searing – if not always 100% clear and polished. An essay by Anne E. Michael posed a question I’d never considered: “Is poetry a DNA-based imperative?”; i.e., will scientists discover a biological or brain-chemical source for the uniquely human ability to create poetry and art? I was smitten by Irish writer Philomena Feighan’s story about a Catholic school history teacher who can’t release himself from the demons of his own personal history, no matter how many women he beds, no matter how many scotches he drinks. And anyone who has ever tried to teach literature – or anything – might delight in Judy Kronenfeld’s poem, “Old Teacher Cogitates Revenge While Trying to Teach Wallace Stevens to the Young at 2 P.M.” After an epigraph from Stevens, the poem begins: “A student in the middle row, suddenly awake, / cackles; then he and his girl / both grimace visibly when I point out / “If her horny feet protrude” alludes / to yellow calluses, not the lustful / dead. . . .” Diner’s cover reads “a journal of poetry,” but an editorial explains the decision to start including prose to attract a larger audience. The table of contents, called “Menu,” offers “Blue Plate Specials” (long sections with bios and poems by featured poets), “Mo’ Jo” (reminiscences by writers on discovering their favorite poets), and “Fresh Baked” (Book Reviews).

*Editor’s note: Diner will cease publication after their next issue, September 2007.
[http://www.spokenword.to/Diner]