The Seattle Review – 2003

The Seattle Review, which has been one of my favorite journals since before I moved to Seattle, has recently become the new bastion of the Pacific Northwest literary scene, and it certainly manifests a renewed glamour in its latest issue. The featured retrospective of Sharon Olds by Linden Ontjes, and essay by Olds herself, generously full of her poetry and personal photos, would, by themselves, make this issue a must-have.

The Seattle Review, which has been one of my favorite journals since before I moved to Seattle, has recently become the new bastion of the Pacific Northwest literary scene, and it certainly manifests a renewed glamour in its latest issue. The featured retrospective of Sharon Olds by Linden Ontjes, and essay by Olds herself, generously full of her poetry and personal photos, would, by themselves, make this issue a must-have. But, as added incentive, the lovely cover art from Do-Ho Suh and the gorgeous full-color cityscapes of Italy by Marcia Woodard appeal to visual arts lovers. The poetry throughout this issue, like the short stories, were moody but varied. I especially liked Ronald Antonio’s poem “When I Am Who I Am,” excerpted here: “Listen / I am a yellow cockatoo / playing riddles in a cage / through which no one hears… I am a monsoon in the eye of my ancestors / the heartbeats of those / who’ve walked before me / and planted their bones / here / in America…” I hope The Seattle Review continues to showcase the best new and established writers of the Northwest and beyond. (In the interests of full disclosure, I did contribute a poem to this issue. But don’t let that sway you one way or the other.) [The Seattle Review, Box 354330, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-4330. E-mail: [email protected]. Single issue $7.00. http://depts.washington.edu/engl/seaview1.html] – JHG