[Richard Wakefield]

Two splendid new poems by Alicia Stallings in the current Poetry. Don't miss them.
Richard Wakefield

[A. E. Stallings]

Thanks, Richard, for this announcement (and the Hudson announcement too...). I didn't realize the issue was even out yet. Since I very rarely write anything over 20 lines, I was delighted they took the longish piece!

I hope folks here have made note that Poetry is having a reading period for June, July and August open ONLY to poets who have never published in the magazine before. I think this is an admirable effort to further open the doors of the magazine, and I'm sure everything that comes over the transom will be given a read. Wiman is definitely form-friendly. There are many Sphereians who should take advantage of this, and I hope we'll hear of several acceptances on this board before the summer is up.



[This message has been edited by A. E. Stallings (edited May 27, 2007).]

[Richard Wakefield]

Alicia:
I for one wasn't aware that Poetry was going to make such a focused effort to widen the portal. I have always had the impression that they aren't nearly as clubby as some, but with the number of submissions they get it would be no surprise if they fairly often used name familiarity as a sorting tool. Sheer practicality takes over when an editor (of sub-editor, or sub-sub-editor) is faced with a pile of hundreds of submissions.
Thanks for spreading the word.
By the way, the bio in Poetry says your Lucretius will be out in June. There's something to look forward to!
Richard

[Bruce McBirney]

Congrats, Alicia, on two very striking poems! I thought they were the highlight of the issue.

I especially liked the long one, "On Visiting a Borrowed Country House in Arcadia," with its graceful het-met stanzas winding along after the conflict in the first couple stanzas (rather than barreling straignt ahead) toward the touching, but tentative, insight at the end.

(Resolving the a-b-b-c-c-d-d-a rhyme scheme of the first eight stanzas with a-a-b-b-c-c-d-d in the final stanza was also a nice touch!)

Best wishes.

[David Mason]

I agree with Bruce. Alicia's two poems really make the issue for me.
Dave

[David Landrum]

It just got my copy of Poetry. It was great to see Alicia's name featured on the cover of what many people consider to be America's #1 poetry magazine. Congrats again, Alicia!

dwl

[A. E. Stallings]

I have yet to see the magazine, but am very encouraged by your responses here. Thanks, Bruce, for your close read! (I'm delighted you noticed the rhyme scheme.) Thanks so much Dave & David.

[Toni Clark]

Wonderful poems! Yes, they really make this a special issue. Congratulations!

Toni

[Terese Coe]

Alicia,

Just read them today. "On Visiting a Borrowed Country House in Arcadia" is quite a tour de force and I'm more impressed than ever.

Major congratulations!

Terese

[wendy v]

What Terese said, and even more.
I think it's a fooking masterpiece.