Publisher's Notes

Citizen, Subject, Slave

by Phoebe Bosche

The issue at hand reflects on the theme “Citizen, Subject and Slave.” In its many ramifications, we agree with what Nobel Prize winner Harold Pinter had to say about citizenship:

“I believe that despite the enormous odds which exist, unflinching, unswerving, fierce intellectual determination, as citizens, to define the real truth of our lives and our societies is a crucial obligation which devolves upon us all….”

In the book, VISIONS OF CALIBAN, on Chimpanzees and People, Dale Peterson and Jane Goodall relate this vision of what it means to be a citizen, or at least an equal partner in society, to animals (well, chimps): “Prospero and Caliban are, we recognize at last, partners and twins, both slaves, both masters. Slavery violates equally the owner and the owned. By enslaving Caliban [the Chimp/the animal] we enslave ourselves. Only when we free Caliban will we free ourselves.” It will take a long time (I fear never) for humanity to treat animals “humanely” but it is a future worth imaging.

We are enormously proud, as always, to present the diverse work in this issue. Elizabeth Myhr was excited about the poetry she selected, and especially so about Emerging Voices poet Sandra Meade (p.27). And the poems/work done by translators (Beyond Borders section) Paul Sohar, Edward Morin, Fang Dai, and Dennis Ding. Marvelous to learn about poets Gyorgy Faludy and Cai Qijiao.

Among the many highlights in this issue: Craig Van Riper’s emotional and insightful poetic translations of Sebastiao Salgado’s photos; Belle Randall’s essay about on-demand-printing and the work of folks like Richard Denner of D-press (will we see their like again?); John Olson’s usual incredibly beautiful/lyrical/intelligent prose poems and essays (it is hard to believe that Seattle is lucky enough, after the on-going demantling of the lower and middle classes, to still have a writer of his caliber here); Matt Briggs’s essay on one of his favorite subjects: urban, Mall-influenced, America and the folks who live in its environs; Jody Aliesan’s intensely framed poems from her self-imposed exile from the violence that too often defines what is the United States experience; Paul Hunter’s poems that attempt to deal with and square with cultures that haven’t incorporated the West’s (U.S.’s) ideas of modernism and morality (amorality?).

Notes:
We have moved into new office space in the University District (Jack Straw Foundation Building), sharing with Floating Bridge Press. We continue to post excerpts and new work (nature writing, Food & Culture) on our Web site; check it for submission guidelines for our upcoming issues.

The 2007 recipient of the Louise Dovell Poetry/Spoken Word Award ($100) is Marion Kimes (see p.39 for a sample of her elegant, concise, powerful poems). This new, hopefully annual, award reflects the spirit of storytelling /spoken word poetry, and honors Louise, who died of cancer in 2006.