Goblin Fruit - Winter 2010
This should have been posted on Friday! Alas, a combination of work and TMJD-related issues kept me from getting it up here. Of course, that means you get a double dose of free fiction1 highlights! You get a look today at Goblin Fruit and a gander at The Edge of Propinquity on Friday.
At the tail-end of last week, I snuck a few minutes here and a few minutes there to read the Winter 2010 issue of Goblin Fruit. This edition is remarkable in that it's the first not edited by the excellent editrices Amal el-Mohtar and Jessica Paige Wick: for this edition, they called upon the dark and twisty Mike Allen, of Mythic Delirium fame. (They actually switched magazines for an issue, so we've all got an Amal and Jessica-edited Mythic Delirium to look forward to!)
In the fine tradition of Goblin Fruit, this guest-edited edition was, in a word, brilliant. Succulent. Intoxicating. Okay, that's three words. I can't really care that I'm effusing; give me the shears right now and I'll trade a curl of scarlet gold for more of this luscious fruit. (Lucky for me, I have a ridiculous number of issues I haven't yet read in their full glory.)
As I was making my notes for which poems to mention here, I realized that I wanted to talk about twelve out of sixteen pieces: that should be evidence enough right there that you ought to put a silver penny in your purse, kiss your fruit-fevered love, and hie yourself off in search of goblin men. Er, that means you should go read the issue. Now. I'll wait.
Actually, I totally won't. Instead, I'll give you my Top 10 of this issue and a couple of Honorable Mentions. However, I do hope you read the whole gorgeous issue and then return here to talk about your favorites (or your dislikes).
1. "Oracle" by Liz Bourke
2. "Recipe for a year of spring" by Shweta Narayan
3. "Transformation" by Mari Ness
4. "She Returns to the Floating World" by Jeannine Hall Gailey
5. "Frau Drosselmeyer Loves the Summer" by Virginia M. Mohlere
6. "Psyche, at Midnight, in the Dark" by Larry Hammer
7. "Phineas Gage blinks for eternity" by J. C. Runolfson
8. "What They Know" by Adrienne J. Odasso
9. "said the sea-witch" by Kirsty Logan
10. "Minotaur Noir" by Rachel Manija Brown
Honorable mentions: "September Song" by Sonya Taaffe and "Butterfly Woman" by Elissa Malcohn.
"Oracle" had that initial, blow my mind "YES!!!" that only accompanies excellent poetry. "Recipe for a year of spring" and "Transformation" got me right where I live in fairy tales and myth: raw, multi-faceted, wry, and price-laden. And "Transformation" is structured poetry, a vilanelle! Hats off to you, Ms. Ness! (As an aside to Ms. Narayan, I am a sucker for poetry that is recipe that is poetry. I've written one concerning Snow White's stepmother, but it still needs work.) "She Returns to the Floating World" is beautifully complex while being widely applicable, and the poems concerning Frau Drosselmeyer, Psyche, and Phineas Gage transfix me with their interpretations of those persons concerned. Adrienne's "What They Know" really works the repetition for a chilling effect. And, finally, "said the sea-witch" and "Minotaur Noir" are a fantastic step to the left of their source materials, absorbing anyone with an interest in the subversive in fairy tale and myth.
I wish I had a group of you and a table set for tea: this collection of poems is ripe for spirited discussion and dramatic readings. (Bonus: Goblin Fruit features recordings of the poems being read whenever possible! However, I haven't gotten to listen to any from this edition yet due to equipment constraints when reading.)
We'll just have to have our discussion here, my lovelies! So settle in with a cup of something steaming and fragrant, a platter of tasty tidbits, and let's begin! What did you think of this Goblin Fruit?
P.S. Mike, give my best to Anita: the section titles and ordering of the poems in this edition were inspired.
1. Yes, Goblin Fruit is actually poetry and not fiction. I need a better way to refer to my weekly highlights! Any ideas?
At the tail-end of last week, I snuck a few minutes here and a few minutes there to read the Winter 2010 issue of Goblin Fruit. This edition is remarkable in that it's the first not edited by the excellent editrices Amal el-Mohtar and Jessica Paige Wick: for this edition, they called upon the dark and twisty Mike Allen, of Mythic Delirium fame. (They actually switched magazines for an issue, so we've all got an Amal and Jessica-edited Mythic Delirium to look forward to!)
In the fine tradition of Goblin Fruit, this guest-edited edition was, in a word, brilliant. Succulent. Intoxicating. Okay, that's three words. I can't really care that I'm effusing; give me the shears right now and I'll trade a curl of scarlet gold for more of this luscious fruit. (Lucky for me, I have a ridiculous number of issues I haven't yet read in their full glory.)
As I was making my notes for which poems to mention here, I realized that I wanted to talk about twelve out of sixteen pieces: that should be evidence enough right there that you ought to put a silver penny in your purse, kiss your fruit-fevered love, and hie yourself off in search of goblin men. Er, that means you should go read the issue. Now. I'll wait.
Actually, I totally won't. Instead, I'll give you my Top 10 of this issue and a couple of Honorable Mentions. However, I do hope you read the whole gorgeous issue and then return here to talk about your favorites (or your dislikes).
1. "Oracle" by Liz Bourke
2. "Recipe for a year of spring" by Shweta Narayan
3. "Transformation" by Mari Ness
4. "She Returns to the Floating World" by Jeannine Hall Gailey
5. "Frau Drosselmeyer Loves the Summer" by Virginia M. Mohlere
6. "Psyche, at Midnight, in the Dark" by Larry Hammer
7. "Phineas Gage blinks for eternity" by J. C. Runolfson
8. "What They Know" by Adrienne J. Odasso
9. "said the sea-witch" by Kirsty Logan
10. "Minotaur Noir" by Rachel Manija Brown
Honorable mentions: "September Song" by Sonya Taaffe and "Butterfly Woman" by Elissa Malcohn.
"Oracle" had that initial, blow my mind "YES!!!" that only accompanies excellent poetry. "Recipe for a year of spring" and "Transformation" got me right where I live in fairy tales and myth: raw, multi-faceted, wry, and price-laden. And "Transformation" is structured poetry, a vilanelle! Hats off to you, Ms. Ness! (As an aside to Ms. Narayan, I am a sucker for poetry that is recipe that is poetry. I've written one concerning Snow White's stepmother, but it still needs work.) "She Returns to the Floating World" is beautifully complex while being widely applicable, and the poems concerning Frau Drosselmeyer, Psyche, and Phineas Gage transfix me with their interpretations of those persons concerned. Adrienne's "What They Know" really works the repetition for a chilling effect. And, finally, "said the sea-witch" and "Minotaur Noir" are a fantastic step to the left of their source materials, absorbing anyone with an interest in the subversive in fairy tale and myth.
I wish I had a group of you and a table set for tea: this collection of poems is ripe for spirited discussion and dramatic readings. (Bonus: Goblin Fruit features recordings of the poems being read whenever possible! However, I haven't gotten to listen to any from this edition yet due to equipment constraints when reading.)
We'll just have to have our discussion here, my lovelies! So settle in with a cup of something steaming and fragrant, a platter of tasty tidbits, and let's begin! What did you think of this Goblin Fruit?
P.S. Mike, give my best to Anita: the section titles and ordering of the poems in this edition were inspired.
1. Yes, Goblin Fruit is actually poetry and not fiction. I need a better way to refer to my weekly highlights! Any ideas?