«« Index »»
maybe
Well, here it is! Another fine issue of SWAMP, filled with ambiguous delight. For Issue 33 we asked our contributors to reflect on the theme of Maybe, and boy did they deliver. This was good, this was very good. Initially we were maybe a little concerned that the open-ended nature of the theme would lead to work with uncertain heart and soul, or that folks would be put off from submitting by the loose parameters we’d set for them. But, surprise surprise, our fears were unfounded, and we might in fact have received a greater than usual deluge of quality work from around the globe. As always it was a struggle to pick and choose between pieces, but eventually we narrowed it down to the fine selection you see before you.
Something that never ceases to amaze me is the seemingly infinite number of ways in which a poet or prose writer can respond to a given theme. Our contributors for Issue 33 went above and beyond, plumbing the depths of themselves for nuggets of gold that covered the full emotional and psychological spectrum in ways that were often funny, often haunting, but always moving. There’s not enough space in this humble editor’s letter to reflect on each piece with the clarity they all deserve (that’s what reading them is for!), so I’ll just say that the varying interpretations of all our contributors for Issue 33 have been truly impressive and worthy of recognition. Still, I can’t help but wonder how you’d maybe feel if you found yourself in the position of Hudson Tesoriero’s narrator in The Dishwasher, for example, realising that your deepest fears could lurk just beneath your feet. And I wonder how you might respond to the beauty of grief and love found in Freya Sacksen’s wonderful poetry. So go ahead, dive in, maybe you’ll find things of major resonance (you will). Okay, enough with the maybe jokes…
Many thanks are due to our Heads of Prose, Stephanie Jenkins and Olivia Wolfe, whose shared inputs and edits we are always grateful for, and to Denni Martin, our Head of Poetry, whose incisive judgment continues to shine. Thanks also to Peter Bower for his usual handling of things behind the scenes, there wouldn’t be a SWAMP without you.
Submissions are now open for Issue 34! This time the theme is ‘Heat’. As we come out of the depths of winter in Australia, we’re looking for poetry and prose with spark. We want your creativity to be like the sun that warms our skin (or burns it), like the oven that turns dough into bread, and like the searing feeling inside when you see that certain friend/lover/enemy. What’s hot? What’s not hot? What once had heat, but no longer does? We’re turning the temperature up for this one, so hit us with your best (s)hot! Submissions will close November 1st 2024 and, as always, we eagerly await your material.
Shea Evans
Editor-in-Chief
Poetry:
- Audacity – Rawiri Nicholls
- Awakened – Joseph Weiner
- Crush 3. – Freya Sacksen
- Dictionary Definition of a Joe Lunchbucket – Joshua Finzi
- Drawing a Cat – Stephen Richardson
- Eulogy for Gradpa – Narelle Roberts
- Garden’s Lament – HC Freger
- man as antenna – Stephen Richardson
- Maybe – Eagle Ryanzke
- One Last Dance – Freya Sacksen
- Pomegranate Constellation – Kim Cope Tait
- poo sticks – Brent Cantwell
- Redemption – Joseph Weiner
- Sublimation – Krista Carson
Prose
- A Lullaby For Lost Mothers – Jo Grobler
- A Shell on the Shoreline – Karter Rowe
- Chameleon – Indyana Horobin
- How Much Do You List Memories for on ebay? – Narelle Roberts
- It Should’ve Stayed Dead; or, The Post-Modern Prometheus – Michael Amhaz
- On Arriving Together – Tyler Heesh
- Safety Beach – Jacob Pilkington
- The Dishwasher – Hudson Tesoriero
- The Goldfish King – Jessica Cook
- The Suitcase – Kaylee Rudd
Published: 9 September 2024.
Editorial Team: Shea Evans (Editor-In-Chief), Stephanie Jenkins (Co-Head Editor of Prose), Olivia Wolfe (Co-Head Editor of Prose), Denni Martin (Head of Poetry), Keri Glastonbury (Editorial Advisor).
