I never get tired of poetry.
Okay, that’s not exactly true … More accurately, I never get tired of good poetry. And while the definition of good requires hours of debate and lots of Belgian beer (possibly darts), defining how I select poems for publication is a lot easier.
Basically, I’m looking for something that refreshes the overloaded senses, that performs a control-alt-delete on our stagnant world of smog and riots. I like poetry that takes some kind of risk, but does so for a good reason. For me, a good poem is when you feel utterly fed up with literature, with all its tropes and gimmicks and pretensions, then you turn the page and in the space of about four seconds, you’re madly in love with it again.
So with that in mind, I’m as fired up as a Washington reporter during an election cycle to bring you an all-poetry issue, including sense-rattling pieces by Paul Scot August, Camille-Yvette Welsch, Sandra Kolankiewicz, Maria Nazos, Janet Hagelgans, Sherry Stuart-Berman, and Bill Yarrow. Enjoy.
“Red Flags” and “Final Walkthrough” by Paul Scot August
“The Ugliest Girl in Christendom Gets Her School Pictures Taken” by Camille-Yvette Welsch
“Considering the Ledge” by Sandra Kolankiewicz
“Still Life” by Maria Nazos
“Married to Other People” by Janet Hagelgans
“Passage” by Sherry Stuart-Berman
“1st and Goal” by Bill Yarrow
Photo: Belgian Beer by Neil Turner
