DISSONANCE

Dearest friends,

If our previous issue, ‘Reminiscence,’ was gazing gently into the past, then this issue has a vested interest in startling you into the present. It began, as usual, in a moment of nonsense — the two of us listing word after word, searching for the right one in a bar with no name. ‘Dissonance’ came, as it often does, unexpectedly and jarringly, and began our quest towards an issue contemporary in all iterations of the word. Yes, we wanted strange forms and shocking subjects, poems of pinecones and bugs and stage directions, but so too were we seeking poems that articulate the sheer cognitive dissonance of modern life. Our world is unjust and tumultuous; with every day, the gap widens between what should be and what is, personally, socially, politically. How, then, do we as individuals, as writers, continue to carry on?

We don’t have the answer. But we do know that community is the best place to start. As always, we are indebted to all those who submitted to this issue for the zeal with which they approached our divergent and somewhat contrary motif. We continue to be indebted to all who remain a part of our community, whether they be past contributors, current friends, or consistent readers. And, as always, we hope this issue will have you reconsidering what poetry means to you – poetry as power, as connection, as an act of rebellion.

With oddity! With hope! With love!

Helen & Gale
Editor and Guest Editor of The Madrigal