South (also on Facebook), a poetry magazine, currently comes out twice a year - on paper! I suspect it has many subscribers who've been supporting the magazine for ages. This issue has 12 pages about feature poet Wendy Klein, 58 poems from 47 poets (no bios), and 10 reviews (books from Frogmore Press, The High Window, Indigo Dreams, etc). D A Prince has a poem and a review.
The poems aren't chosen by the same editors every issue - this time 2 people chose - and submission is anonymous. All this should lead to variety and fairness. I understand why most magazines don't have anonymous submission, but I think this magazine should be commended for its policy.
Submission is by post. I suspect that many submissions are from subscribers who aren't in their first flush - the magazine has more than its fair share of poems about aging or dead parents/partners, and the trials of old age. I don't mind that. Style-wise there's nothing adventurous. I think I understood what each poem was trying it do, which makes a change nowadays. My favourite was "The night the willow fell".
My story collection "By All Means" (ISBN 978-0-9570984-9-7), published by Nine Arches Press, is on sale from 
My poetry pamphlet "Moving Parts" (ISBN 978-1-905939-59-6) is out now, on sale at the 
And you were in it, too, weren't you. On paper, yes, among the litany of mostly grey-haired poets who are unlikely to be heralded as standard-bearers of the next step forward into whatever poetry does next.
ReplyDeleteBy all means be dismissive of it in the ways that you are but at least be grateful that they found space for one of your poems.
Why did you submit to it if, as you infer, it was a bit beneath your dignity.
Sorry if you thought my comments dismissive. They weren't meant to be. I'm all for paper mags (I subscribe to several). I don't understand much of what's in many other mags - South suits me. I'm a grandfather and see nothing wrong with grey hair. And I'm a fan of D A Prince.
ReplyDeleteApologies. It looks like I completely mis-read you there.
ReplyDeleteNo problem. If you'd like me to delete your post, just ask.
ReplyDelete