About
Summer 2013 Edition
This edition marks the second anniversary of Menacing Hedge, which began in the summer of 2011. It was conceived because of the lack of what I can only call "surrealist poetry," poetry that uses words to describe what is visually expressed in the surrealism art movement. I crave poetry without ego, but with empathy, compassion and the ability to take the reader to unknown realms. Poetry that takes you someplace, or to someone or to something your never knew before. This type of writing is more common in fiction but is more rare in poetry. Along the way we scooped up the amazing Craig Wallwork, by the scruff of his neck, as our fiction editor. He submitted a short story called "Human Tenderloin" and we fell in love with him and his writing. Wallwork has brought in talented short fiction writers and Menacing Hedge would not be what it is without him and his tireless editing. Our technical editor, Gio Guillemette. designed the site and built it from the ground up. He has spent numerous hours building each journal version and editing the audio as well as building free e-books and all things technological. This journal is registered with the Library of Congress and every issue is archived. Menacing Hedge has been graced with many amazing writers and visual artists over the past two years. This current edition serves up even more.
The featured visual artist is Madeline von Foerster, a contemporary surrealist artist who uses a five century-old mixed technique of oil and egg tempera, developed by the Flemish Renaissance Masters. Please read her very thoughtful interview. We are truly honored to add her to the Menacing Hedge family.
Short story writers include Etgar Keret, Charlie Brown, Stuart Gibbel, Peter Tieryas Liu, Dennis Must, and David Vardeman. Poets include Jessica Ankeny, Jessica Cory, Melissa Eleftherion, Lane Falcon, Amorak Huey, Sara Biggs Chaney, Rich Ives, and the collaborative poetry of Juliet Cook and Robert Cole.
The issue contains interviews from sample poets from the anthology Women Write Resistance, edited by Laura Madeline Wiseman and published by Hyacinth Girl Press. The poets interviewed from the anthology are Kathleen Aguero, Elliott batTzedek, Ann Bracken, and María Luisa Arroyo. We are also very pleased to offer sample poems from each of these fine poets from the anthology.
Last but never least, the issue also contains Laura Madeline Wiseman's review of Susan Yount's book Catastrophe Theory from Hyacinth Girl Press. The review also includes choice sample poems from Yount's book.
Please take time to listen to the audio as well; many of our writers put much time and effort into recording their respective pieces. We also use the audio in Menacing Podcasts. Finally, there there is Menacing Hedge's evil twin, Scary Bush, in which the writers thrill us with poems, stories and unnamable oddities from the way back.
Enjoy, read and share. And if you love what you read, please submit, because we will love you back.
Kelly Boyker,
Poetry Editor and co-founder of Menacing Hedge.
This edition was produced by:
Kelly Boyker: Poetry editor
Craig Wallwork: Fiction editor
Gio Guillemette: Technical director and paperwork dealer-wither
Dickens: Chief of paperwork interference and specialist in rendering all untethered small objects to the Taking Things Place, wherever that is.
Menacing Hedge
Menacing Hedge is a quarterly journal of poetry, fiction and artwork, which is committed to fostering access to emerging and experimental poetry and prose. Ongoing publication is scheduled for the first weeks of July, October, January, and April. Menacing Hedge will carefully archive all its editions to ensure that an author's/artist's work will remain on the web for many, many years to come. Regrettably, Menacing Hedge cannot pay its contributors at this time.
Menacing Hedge accepts only original unpublished literary work; however, it will consider literary work on a case-by-case basis if it has appeared only in print but never on the web. In the case of art and photography, it is acceptable if the piece has appeared on the artist's website or elsewhere.
Upon acceptance of a literary piece, Menacing Hedge obtains first publishing rights and then all rights revert to the author. Menacing Hedge requests that if a published piece is later published elsewhere, that Menacing Hedge will be credited with first publication. Also, Menacing Hedge reserves the right to publish the piece in print.
Scary Bush
If we decide to accept your work, we will also invite you to submit one of your most cringeworthy efforts from the misty past to Menacing Hedge's evil twin, Scary Bush. Please see the Scary Bush page for examples.