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This issue of Canary, a new poetry journal with high production values featuring a completely black cover with only “Canary” and “2” visible, displays the talents of poets diverse as Thomas Lux and Olena Kalytiak Davis. Poems, which range from highly experimental to traditional forms, occasionally include visual media such as illustrations, plain lines, or even, an autograph of a pop culture icon, as in “Poem with Erik Estrada Autograph.” As a representative sample, here are some evocative lines (lines breaks and stanza breaks condensed for the interests of space in this column) from Michael Dumanis’ “West Des Moines”: Continue reading “The Canary – 2003”

If minimalism had a role model in format, it would be Pawhatan Review, which only adds to the surprise and delight readers will discover in the depth and complexity of content. The magnet for me in this saddle-stitched format was the centerpiece: a b/w photograph by Mark Artkinson entitled “Vermont girls, summer at the beach,” which perfectly and preciously captures two distinct inner workings of young feminine psyche. Continue reading “The Powhatan Review – Summer 2003”

Easily one of the handsomest literary journals, River City delivers a provocative array of short fiction, poetry, and full color art. With a glossy cover picturing the back of a nude male bound from head to foot in heavy chains, this “Ill Will” issue immediately sets the reader up for an edgy ride. The short stories here are mostly concerned with the self-immolating, the transient, and the otherwise marginal characters peopling the terrain just outside of conventional bourgeois life. The two finest stories, “Suspension” by Morgan McDermott, and “Nebulous” by Molly Fitzsimmons, while wonderfully divergent in style, have in common a big-hearted concern for the masochistic tendencies of their fractured protagonists. Continue reading “River City – Winter 2003”

Lovers of the short story will cherish Night Train. Save a fascinating biographical essay on the late Richard Yates, this issue is entirely fiction. Kerry Jones’ “Rescue Effort” is a stunning opener. Using the second-person perspective, she eerily evokes her character’s haunted emotional state: “You watched him go, still loving him as his back drifted farther and farther away . . . and while something inside of you said you’d never be fine again, somehow that was all right.” And the stories only intensify after this masterful start, creating a veritable showcase of work rich in grace and humanity—and poetics too. Continue reading “Night Train – 2003”

Poetry International is an annual journal out of San Diego that manages to present a collection of poetry, essays, art and reviews that feels thoroughly edited yet diverse and exuberant. The essays are original and lively, especially Jeredith Merrin’s “And Damned If It’s Not a Hart Crane-Azure Sky!–Some Notes on American Modernism and Influence,” a discussion of how Modernist writers have influenced her writing, and Mark Weiss’ essay, “The Worlds of Cuban Poetry.” Mark Weiss is also the translator of the featured Cuban poems, including my favorites, “The Girl in the Forest” and “Mother Goose,” two surreal but intimate takes on popular children’s stories, by Eliseo Diego. A few lines from “Mother Goose”: “…Then / amid the golden flames / that cavernous mouth. / A hurricane whispers: / ‘Once upon a time…’ / And everything begins.” Continue reading “Poetry International – 2002”

The magazine 96 Inc. is better than expected. It’s a simple production with the focus squarely where it should be—on the writing. Inside, there are three decent realistic stories and a lot of poetry. Some of it is by young writers, some is by established poets, and all of it is high quality. The mission of the magazine alone makes it worthy of attention. The editorial board of 96 Inc. runs youth programs and is devoted to “the new voice.” Even though these goals are admirable, the writing stands on its own. This is not a pity read. Quality work includes Lyn Lifshin’s poems, and a very nice piece, “What I Didn’t Know” by Judy Katz-Levine. “Her name was one not to be spoken,” the poem begins, and it layers personal recollection with ambiguity. It was the one poem in the magazine that made me write “wow” in the margins. Don’t be put off by the simplicity of the design; this is a good journal. [www.96inc.com] Continue reading “96 Inc – 2004”

The debut issue of this attractive, glossy saddle-stitched review features poems by the likes of A.E. Stallings, Molly Peacock and Annie Finch. The National Poetry Review “favors formal verse” as demonstrated in these lyric lines by Ellen Kirvin Dudis from her poem “Betta Splendens”: “Love never offers. I see another, / not the other. Nights, I rise for air / -O lost lagoon, O submerged fire- / and on three inches of water / float these kisses. Your heart’s no larger than the jar.” Continue reading “The National Poetry Review – Fall/Winter 2003”

The august tradition of Southern writing that is The Southern Review comes by its reputation honestly. Continue reading “The Southern Review – Summer 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. Continue reading “The Seattle Review – 2003”

This generously-spirited review produced at the County College of Morris in New Jersey focuses solely on New Jersey writers and artists, but contains a surprising diversity of work. Continue reading “Journal of New Jersey Poets – 2003”

Most of the poems in this issue of the Haight Ashbury Literary Journal, with its cover picture of a dove with a peace sign and a giant “PEACE” announcing its theme, have to do, surprisingly enough, with peace. Continue reading “Haight Ashbury Literary Journal – Summer 2003”

Bathtub Gin is an irreverent little saddle-stitched journal that will appeal to those who love the literary world but could care less about the more academic aspects. This issue includes an interview with writer Mark Terrill, along with four of his poems, a series of photographs by Caryn Thurman, a couple of short prose pieces and an array of short poems, as well as some small illustrations by Harland Ristau.  Continue reading “Bathtub Gin – Spring/Summer 2003”

A little journal. Sometimes when we say “little” we mean inconsequential, insubstantial, or sometimes we may mean unnoticed or even unpretentious. But when it comes to eye-rhyme, I mean, literally, little. This diminutive volume measures about 4 ½ x 4 ½, which gives it an “experimental” aspect from the get go. I appreciate the opportunity to think about the meaning of “experimental literature,” which in the case of eye-rhyme includes: unusual, original, and/or hybrid forms, language that deliberately strives to break the conventions of normative logic, attention to non “mainstream” or “commercial” literary endeavors, a preponderance of images and language from “popular culture,” an eroticism that borders on the pornographic, and a tone, in much of the poetry, as well as the prose, that defies definition, but that somehow manages to be both bold and casual. Continue reading “eye-rhyme – 2003”

There is something delightful about opening a literary journal, especially one with this title, to find the score for a string quartet. Beautifully printed, lovely to look at, it is possible to appreciate the “Quartet For Strings #1” by Nicholas Morrison whether one reads music or not. The music is followed by a dozen or so poems, photographs, including stunning portraits by Wynne Harrison Hutchings, fiction, and several essays in criticism, a form that is somewhere between a journal-length review and an in-depth critical essay. Continue reading “Euphony – Summer 2003”

The blood red cover announces this volume’s theme “Blood/Le Sang,” as well as this Canadian journal’s bilingual presentation. The Canadians are leaders in feminist writing that crosses “the boundary between creative and theoretical texts,” and this issue’s introductory essay by editors Martine Delvaux and Catherine Mavrikakis is an excellent example. This exciting work links personal story and reflection, ideas about the meaning of “blood relations” and the language and uses of blood from writers and philosophers and religious texts, and explores the meaning(s) of “blood” in advertising and social interactions (“Blood. It’s in you to give” – from the Blood Services of Canada). Alternating between French and English, Delvaux and Mavrikakis’ piece sets the stage for the essays, poems, other prose texts, and artwork that follow. Continue reading “Tessera – Winter 2003”

In his Editor’s Notes, Gerry LeFemina, who here edits his last edition of Controlled Burn, admits his preference for poetry. Continue reading “Controlled Burn – Winter 2003”

“We welcome writing that makes us feel and think deeply about serious human concerns such as tolerance, diversity, freedom, nonviolence, multi-cultural awareness, healthy relationships, environmental justice, globalization, personal growth, and spirituality,” say the editors of this annual publication from Ohio, now in its fifth year. This issue features writing on peace and social justice and includes stories, poems, and short personal essays on a wide range of themes, among them:  war, the conflict in the Middle East, anarchist organizations, the life of the Pueblo community in the southwestern United States, racism, the life of migrant workers in the United States, the internment of Japanese American citizens, living with disabilities, domestic violence, and the events and aftermath of September 11, 2001. Contrary to what one might expect, encountering these themes together is not overwhelming. In fact, this accumulation of social justice themes actually seems to work in their favor, creating a large and more commanding vision. Continue reading “Out of Line – 2003”

This annual journal from Truman State University tips the scales at a hefty and generous 250 pages —18 stories, 32 poems, an essay, and 3 reviews. Don’t skip the reviews; admirably, GHLL reviews poetry and novels from lesser-known, independent presses. Continue reading “Green Hills Literary Lantern – 2003”

This is a journal that prides itself on taking risks and elevating the new. In this case, one of the new things it introduces us to is the poetry of Picasso, featured across seventeen pages, in translation, with lines like “III and in the organ fry up the dead leaves/ II that draw blood/ III that the lake’s light astonishes/ I and makes sing.” Continue reading “New American Writing – 2003”

Beloit Poetry Journal is one of the journals that poetry junkies in the know call a must-read because of the consistent quality of the poetry they publish, the freshness of the voices, and the terrific reviews. There can be no “ho-hum” response to this journal. In this slim but mighty issue, not only did I thrill to the emotional zing and wit of every single poem, I delighted in editor Marion Stocking’s review roundup of recent books by poets on poetry. Her pithy, intelligent descriptions helped me sort my own shopping list (check Roethke’s On Poetry and Craft, check Kim Stafford’s The Muses Among Us…) The melancholy themes of many of the poems here revolve around social, political and financial injustices, like Nicole Cooley’s “Madame X—about the connection between the famous portrait and a murdered girl X in the Bronx and a baby X in an ICU. The language in many of these poems leans towards the lyrical, as these lines illustrate, from Corinne Lee’s “Fulgent” about a poet who reads futures in palms in a concentration camp to save his life: Continue reading “Beloit Poetry Journal – Fall 2003”

This issue of Calyx showcases art, poetry, and prose pieces that describe women overcoming adversity and celebrating their individuality. Susan Brown’s acrylic “Monument to New York City,” which uses intricate bird-symbols to communicate her feelings about September 11, was intelligent and moving, truly a visual poem. Equally moving was Smoky Trudeau’s short fiction, “Good-Bye, Emily Dickinson” about a homeless woman who is convinced that she is Emily Dickinson’s daughter. I enjoyed the lyrical images of bats in “I Watch Nature While Breastfeeding” by Melissa Crowe: Continue reading “CALYX – Summer 2003”

Diner serves poetry Fresh and hot, just the way you like it! This issue of “Diner” satisfied my craving for concrete, prose, and other experimental forms, while serving up some of the more traditional fare. (All right, I’m done with the diner jokes now.) Although generally I prefer more traditional syntax in my poetry, I found Karen Neuberg’s prose poem, “Persephone,” evocative, especially these lines: Continue reading “Diner – Spring/Summer 2003”

I wasn’t sure what kind of experience to anticipate from a journal named HazMat, but I was pleasantly surprised by most of what I found between the perfect-bound covers. Not every piece is a hit, but the ones that don’t make it fail for lack of craft rather than heart. Continue reading “HazMat Review – Summer 2003”

This issue of Rattapallax focused on new Brazilian poetry, presented in the original Brazilian-Portuguese along with the English translation, as well as a scattering of experimental American writings. Quite a bit of the poetry in this issue was a little too clever or experimental for me, but I warmed up to some of it after more than one reading, particularly Rodrigo Garcia Lopes’ “Thoth.” Here’s an excerpt from the English translation of the final paragraph of that prose poem: Continue reading “Rattapallax 9 – 2003”

This journal out of New Hampshire features work from both familiar and unfamiliar names. While the aesthetic leans towards a free-verse, relaxed sort of poetry, nothing here tries too hard, and you will occasionally find seemingly effortless, beautiful feats, like these lines from “Susann” by Cecil L. Sayre: Continue reading “Concrete Wolf – 2003”

Sponsored by the Baltimore Writers’ Alliance, this journal features “the short stories and poetry of writers from the Baltimore area and beyond.” There are more writers representing “beyond” this issue, including Virgil Suarez of Florida who must certainly be among the top two or three most frequently published poets in literary journals in the country. His “Recitative of a Moment’s Fugue” is a fine example of why: “In Havana the old street vendors / sell their coconut death masks, / fiber-wigged, a kiss of crimson lips” – he is undoubtedly the best known writer to appear in this issue. Continue reading “The Baltimore Review – Summer/Fall 2003”

“The trouble with September is, it’s nothing / you can put your finger on…” – Deborah Warren’s poem “From August to Autumn,” which captures brilliantly the precise season in which we find ourselves, is a peak moment in an issue of peak moments. Continue reading “Michigan Quarterly Review – Summer 2003”

Given the world in which we live, explains editor Christina Thompson, it is not all that surprising to find an “undercurrent of violence” in this issue. The obvious examples are excerpts from a new play by poet Owen Doyle, Heraion, introduced by Robert Scanlan as a “reenactment of the Medea material,” and the “prologue” of Don MacDonald’s graphic novel, “Machiavelli” with its depiction of a hanging witnessed by Machiavelli as a child. (In many ways, MacDonald’s brief description of how he created the comic strip is as interesting as the strip itself and motivated me to take a serious look at it, where I might otherwise have skipped it.) Continue reading “Harvard Review – Spring 2003”

An exciting and exceptional issue. The Iowa Review doesn’t label its contents by genre as many do, but that’s just as well — many of the pieces here defy categorization. Continue reading “The Iowa Review – Spring 2003”

Brand new, all fiction (plus one interview), advertisement free and gorgeous, the Land-Grant College Review is one of best literary magazines since McSweeney’s. The contributors, by and large, are the interesting mid-list authors we don’t find enough on the NYTimes bestseller list—Ron Carlson, Stephen Dixon, Aimee Bender, Robert Olmstead. The artwork by Joy Kolitsky is stunning, from the cover to the two-color title pages preceding each story. There’s an interview with Thisbe Nissen that alone is worth the issue price, even if you’ve no familiarity with her award winning collection of stories or novel or stolen recipe book. Continue reading “Land-Grant College Review – 2003”

ZYZZYVA, officially subtitled “The last word: West coast writers and artists,” is above nearly all else a fun magazine. They fill their back cover with letters, a good sampling of the weird to funny to cringe-inducing (for writers), and the front cover, on this latest issue, is a beautiful drawing of a lone chair in front of towering shelves of books. After the “Editor’s Note” on the fifth page, and after the 24 following pages of advertisements for art galleries and MFA programs and coffee shops all along the west coast, there’s an hilarious picture of the comedian Robin Williams (page 29), immediately after which (30 pages in), the art of the magazine begins proper. Continue reading “ZYZZYVA – Fall 2003”

At 56 total pages of creative work, PRISM sends a tremendous wallop of beautiful writing that, it’s made clear on both covers and often throughout, is (primarily) from Canada, although they do feature writers from the United States and declare themselves globally cosmopolitan. For those unfamiliar, there’s an organization called the Canadian Magazine Publishers Association that, through both a stamp on the back cover (“Genuine Canadian Magazine”) and an advertisement in the rear of the journal appearing just a step across the line between pride and swagger, establishes what could feel like a strange provincial sneer, if one were so inclined. Continue reading “PRISM International – Spring 2003”

The Fall 2003 issue of Grain is their Short Grain Contest Winners issue, so along with a good selection of poetry and three stories, the table of contents lists winners of competitions in Postcard Stories, Prose Poems, Dramatic Monologues and Long Grain of Truth – the last category a well-named competition of creative nonfiction. Continue reading “Grain – Fall 2003”

It’s hard to know where to begin — there’s so much here. A dense, but readable volume with something for everyone: more than three dozen poems, a dozen prose pieces, fiction and nonfiction, two thought-provoking interviews (Ruth Stone, Breyten Breytenbach) and artwork by five wildly different artists, handsomely reproduced. Big volume, big names: Billy Collins, Anne Babson, Kimiko Hahn, Ray Gonzalez, Padgett Powell, David Shields. And some newer stars, too: Mathew Zapruder, Suji Kwock Kim, Jeffrey Faas, Emily Frago. Fass is, in fact, one of three award winners in this issue (one each for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry), and his honest and disturbing essay about visiting a close friend in prison (“Five to Life”) is an exceptional read. Thomas Beller’s essay “The Toy Collector,” with its deceptively breezy style, is another. Lots of memorable poems here, too. Continue reading “Columbia – 2003”

32 Poems is a new literary journal built on the model provided by One Story magazine – every issue contains, simply, 32 poems – no reviews, no letter from the editor, no fiction. It has generated a lot of buzz in the literary community, and for once, the buzz was deserved; this modest little 5 ½ by 8 ½ saddle-stapled journal contained a dazzling array of poetry. Styles leaned mostly towards the lyric and the experimental, but there were some examples of narrative and formal verse as well. To illustrate the range, I have to quote a few lines from Kimberly Johnson’s “Sonnet” and Mary Ruefle’s“The Phantom Ball,” two of my favorites. From “Sonnet:” Continue reading “32 Poems – Summer 2003”

Slipstream 23 presents work with an urban, contemporary edge. This issue was mostly poetry that has a “spoken-word” vibe but also included three pieces of short fiction and artwork and photography. I liked Johnny Cordova’s prosy but gritty poem, “A Kind of Dance” with these lines: Continue reading “Slipstream – 2003”

This well-regarded journal focuses on poetry and fiction that uses “the deep image,” so the work here, as you might expect, focuses less on the narrative thread and more on lyric imagery. The poetry here seems more successful than the short fiction. Take, for instance, the following lines with their trilling sound effects from Silvia Scheibli’s “Monsoon Season:”

Nude Banana Leaves
Scissor-kick light
Across saltillo tiles

or these from Ray Gonzalez’ “Memorize:”

Memorize the ashes from the last century.
Brush the wind off your hair…

Sometimes you walk afraid.
Other times, there are moths fluttering in the shadows.

This issue includes an inspiring interview, as well as poetry and memoir-excerpts from Carol Dine. I also liked the translations of Eunice Odio’s work. To really appreciate the work here, I would recommend reading this beautifully-produced and generously-sized issue in small doses; otherwise, the images and language in the poetry tend to run together, and you’ll miss out on the delicate texture of the collection.

[The Bitter Oleander Press, 4983 Tall Oaks Drive, Fayetteville, New York 13066-9776. Email: [email protected]. Single issue $8.00. www.bitteroleander.com/issues.html]

Featured authors in this collection include Anton Chekov, Joyce Carol Oates, Robert Creeley and Rick Moody. The works are diverse and powerful. Continue reading “Conjunctions – Spring 2003”