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“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”