hello - i was wondering your favorite poems/writers you think would fit the theme of the zine, so i can get a better idea of what to submit? thanks!
There are many poets I admire, I could cite Siken, Max Porter, Victor Hugo, Baudelaire for the published ones. But it doesn’t really matter.
I think there is only one poem I could say would fit into the theme of the zine, and it’s one of mine: Indulgently. I named this zine after this poem in a way. My only goal with this zine is to carry out a little love, pass it around to anyone who needs it.
This zine is about you, dear anon, about your wishes, your loves and your losses, it is about joy and sorrow, about falling and moving forward. There is no style that does not belong here, all I need to see in someone’s writing is the emotions they want to share.
I’ve used the word “soft” a lot, when referring to this zine because I believe in being vulnerable in your writing, in showing your wounds and your scars and your breaks, and mending them with kindness. It is perhaps more naïve than hopeful, but as the world grows tempestuous around us, I believe in the softness of our hearts.
I will be honest, perhaps I will include your poem in the zine, perhaps I will not. Poetry is as universal as it is personal. In French, we have a saying about tastes and colors: it’s not based on logic. In the end, it will all fall on me to make the choices that I see fit to publish a coherent zine. But it will in no way be a measure of your talent. I believe that one’s writing should always reveal themselves, no matter what the reader may wish to see, only in honesty do we relate to a poet’s work.
Please, look at the prompt for the november issue, “summer’s end” and let your writing speak for itself. Whatever you think it means to be soft, to be indulgent with yourself, show it to me.