Welcome to Issue IV, Volume VII: March 2016 of Connotation Press: An Online Artifact. And welcome to our first full issue on our screaming fast and secure new website. Woohoo! Although February is a little longer this year it’s a short month nonetheless, and after all the work we’ve put into rebuilding the site, we’ve decided to bring you an issue a bit shorter, too. Of course, the authors are all just as brilliant, but to be perfectly honest, we needed a bit of a rest.
Throughout all the recent craziness I found myself blessed to be reminded me of how much I love this magazine. And believe me, it’s been crazy as hell. Worth it, though. It has been completely and totally worth going through that challenge to come out ready and fired up for another trip around the park.
Thank you, once again, to everyone that helped out any way they could to get us back up and running and stronger than ever. Now, before we get into the new issue, I have one more favor to ask of you. SEND US YOUR WRITTEN ART! Our submission page is up and running and working wonderfully now, and we are actively seeking new offerings for our Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Travel, and Book Review columns, NOW.
And with that let’s kick this pig and see what it’ll do!
A Poetry Congeries with John Hoppenthaler entirely shreds this issue with outstanding new offerings from the brilliant Thylias Moss, Thomas Dooley, Molly McCully Brown, Fedor Svarovsky translated by Alex Cigale, Cameron Conaway, Angelo Verga, and John’s featured poet Eamon Grennan. A wonderful interview with Grennan, too. And don’t miss John’s preface this month. He takes a look at the state of, among other things, the current standard of treatment imposed on teachers in our country. Great piece. Great authors. Great column. Enjoy!
And finally, our Book Review Editor Julia Bouwsma gives high marks to Lauret Savoy’s extraordinary collection of interlocking essays, Trace: Memory, History, Race, and the American Landscape (Counterpoint, 2015), “—a hand-drawn map creased and folded and torn, written upon and crossed out and written upon again.” Another wonderful review by Julia that got me again. Looks like I’ll be buying this one, too. You know, one would think since I own this magazine and we publish reviews and all, that I would have one hell of a collection of review books. Uh, huh. One would think that. HA! Anyway, thanks for another powerful review, Julia!
On the 15th of the month our Poetry, Fiction, and Creative Nonfiction columns will go live and Issue IV, Volume VII: March 2016 will be complete. Until then, please enjoy these talented artists and SUBMIT your best and brightest work. If you do, we’ll keep doing all we can to bring you the strongest work possible by the most talented authors in the world.
Enjoy!
Connotation Press: Still Certain Donald Trump Is An Asshole
Ken Robidoux
Publisher/Founding Editor-in-Chief
Connotation Press