were there any pieces you felt had a particularly unique voice? Obviously, they are all incredible in their own ways, but did you come across any overarching themes that were widely unfamiliar and surprising?
Am I allowed to say my own? Just kidding, I'm so tired of it by now...I did an in house for a piece called Days. It's absolutely gorgeous. You all should go read it.
still remember the first time I read "days." more than that, I recall getting the author, gaby broome's commentary on her piece after she read our readers'/editors' feedback.
Oh my goodness. There are so many good pieces to choose from, but I’ll try to throw out a few shout-outs to some of my favorites.
First, I’d like to give a quick tip of the hat to all of the other authors from Pittsburgh. If you’re an author from Pittsburgh and your piece was published in this volume, then I’ve most likely seen your work in local publications as well (like the Ralph Munn Creative Writing Anthology, or Large Print). I was kind of surprised -- but also not surprised -- to see your names popping up in Polyphony. I just wanted to let you know that I’ve heard your voices, and I love your work.
Blue Earth by Max Hunt
This piece gave me chills (in the best way possible). The recurring image of the color blue carries with it a strong connotation, capturing the sickly fight for oxygen, and the crayon drawings, and the blue sky that could swallow a baby whole. This entire piece reads like a surreal dream, a “blue dream,” and I simply love the author’s writing style. The presentation of this piece is really groundbreaking.
Grave of the Butterflies by Coco Huang
I love the sense of disillusionment in this poem, and the way that the author brings up “questions that no child should ask.” The poem ends with a stream of unanswered questions, perfectly capturing how lost the boy feels, and how there are no real answers to explain death. And I think that the image of the butterflies makes for a beautiful symbol, representing the beauty and fragility of life.
I Leave You With This Trauma by Destiny Perkins
When I first read this piece as a crunch time editor, it was the understated (yet powerful) images that really stood out to me. The short, concise sentences that seem simple at a glance, but hit the reader with the force of a speeding train. I love the image of the speaker’s mother, “a swollen melon with long extending tendrils” and the image of the speaker “sitting on the couch, waiting… with a packed bag at [their] feet,” and the description of the speaker’s sister, “cast across the couch.” Through the use of distinct language and word choice, Destiny Perkins sets a strong mood for the piece, and carries this mood all the way through to the end. I couldn’t put this piece down until I’d finished it.
By the Forkful by Nadia Farjami
I love the conciseness of this poem, and the deceptive simplicity of the images. The language is crisp and simple, but there is so much meaning packed into this piece. Throughout the poem, I see so many strong, concrete images, that also carry symbolic meaning and emotional weight. The tongue “sewn with / a fabric of Persian phrases,” and the “crumpling walnut shell” of the mother’s jaw both create a tragic image of dying culture, showing how one culture is swallowed by another (and at the same time, how one culture force-feeds “forkfuls of fractured freedom” to another). This piece contains some really powerful language, and an even-more-powerful message.
There are no kids at funerals by Grady Trexler
I think that this piece pays a nice tribute to the children who are forced to grow up too quickly (and maybe also to the adults who still have a little bit of that childhood innocence buried inside them). It’s really fascinating to see a child’s perspective on mortality, and to feel that sense of disillusionment that comes with the knowledge of “what happens next.” In a way, we are all like the girl in this poem. Whenever we witness death, we turn away. We try to go back to normal and act like we don’t know what happens next, but it is difficult to pretend. I found this piece to be really thought-provoking, and wise beyond its years. Also, can I just say I love how the title flows into the first line of the piece? I think it’s really fascinating to see a poem where the title is not simply a heading used to label the piece, but also an important line in the poem, essential for understanding. The piece just wouldn’t be complete without it.
How to Not Say Regret by Grace Zhang
Another one that I reviewed as an editor during crunch time, and another one that stood out to me for its distinct voice and crisp language. I can’t claim to fully understand this piece, but I do love the strong images that Grace Zhang uses throughout the piece, especially the image of the heart falling to the floor, “thrashing like a / fish in a net.” I also love the fact that many of the lines are not complete sentences, but rather sentence fragments that flow together in a train-of-thought-esque style. I think that this piece was really well-written.
3rd Class by Ben Sibul
As an avid writer and reader of historical fiction, how could I not love this piece? With just a few deft strokes, Ben Sibul skillfully paints a picture of the characters and their struggles. It’s all in the small details, from the way that the girl “poke[s] her head around the… door” to the way that “her fingers [hold] the bread tightly,” as if she’s afraid that someone will take it away from her. The characterization is spot-on here, and it conveys a lot about the everyday burdens and struggles that the characters have faced. Perhaps what I love most about this piece is the fact that “the girl” is never given a name. She is simply “the girl,” and at the end of the piece, readers are left wondering, Who is this girl? Or more accurately, Who could she have been, if she hadn’t been swallowed by the icy waters? It is heartrending, and I am left with the haunting image of her “lifeless body rock[ing] in the waves.” Beautiful storytelling!
Haven't gotten the chance to buy and read it yet, but I must say, the cover is stunning.
It really is! I loved the multimedia
Am I allowed to say my own? Just kidding, I'm so tired of it by now...I did an in house for a piece called Days. It's absolutely gorgeous. You all should go read it.
Ooh, I don't think I've gotten there yet-- now I really want to read it! (And yours-- I didn't realize you had one in there!)
I'm from Sacramento, so Riley Burke's "For Sacramento" was nice to see!
And I'm in love with "Because of the Pear" by Maya Siegel.
Ooh, I love "Because of the Pear" too-- it was so abstract, and I love gothic writing so I was kind of sold from the get-go
There was also a fiction piece called "Drain" that I just LOVED
Oh my gosh YES that was one of my favorites! It was sooo good
still remember the first time I read "days." more than that, I recall getting the author, gaby broome's commentary on her piece after she read our readers'/editors' feedback.
What did she say?
Oh my goodness. There are so many good pieces to choose from, but I’ll try to throw out a few shout-outs to some of my favorites.
First, I’d like to give a quick tip of the hat to all of the other authors from Pittsburgh. If you’re an author from Pittsburgh and your piece was published in this volume, then I’ve most likely seen your work in local publications as well (like the Ralph Munn Creative Writing Anthology, or Large Print). I was kind of surprised -- but also not surprised -- to see your names popping up in Polyphony. I just wanted to let you know that I’ve heard your voices, and I love your work.
Blue Earth by Max Hunt
This piece gave me chills (in the best way possible). The recurring image of the color blue carries with it a strong connotation, capturing the sickly fight for oxygen, and the crayon drawings, and the blue sky that could swallow a baby whole. This entire piece reads like a surreal dream, a “blue dream,” and I simply love the author’s writing style. The presentation of this piece is really groundbreaking.
Grave of the Butterflies by Coco Huang
I love the sense of disillusionment in this poem, and the way that the author brings up “questions that no child should ask.” The poem ends with a stream of unanswered questions, perfectly capturing how lost the boy feels, and how there are no real answers to explain death. And I think that the image of the butterflies makes for a beautiful symbol, representing the beauty and fragility of life.
I Leave You With This Trauma by Destiny Perkins
When I first read this piece as a crunch time editor, it was the understated (yet powerful) images that really stood out to me. The short, concise sentences that seem simple at a glance, but hit the reader with the force of a speeding train. I love the image of the speaker’s mother, “a swollen melon with long extending tendrils” and the image of the speaker “sitting on the couch, waiting… with a packed bag at [their] feet,” and the description of the speaker’s sister, “cast across the couch.” Through the use of distinct language and word choice, Destiny Perkins sets a strong mood for the piece, and carries this mood all the way through to the end. I couldn’t put this piece down until I’d finished it.
By the Forkful by Nadia Farjami
I love the conciseness of this poem, and the deceptive simplicity of the images. The language is crisp and simple, but there is so much meaning packed into this piece. Throughout the poem, I see so many strong, concrete images, that also carry symbolic meaning and emotional weight. The tongue “sewn with / a fabric of Persian phrases,” and the “crumpling walnut shell” of the mother’s jaw both create a tragic image of dying culture, showing how one culture is swallowed by another (and at the same time, how one culture force-feeds “forkfuls of fractured freedom” to another). This piece contains some really powerful language, and an even-more-powerful message.
There are no kids at funerals by Grady Trexler
I think that this piece pays a nice tribute to the children who are forced to grow up too quickly (and maybe also to the adults who still have a little bit of that childhood innocence buried inside them). It’s really fascinating to see a child’s perspective on mortality, and to feel that sense of disillusionment that comes with the knowledge of “what happens next.” In a way, we are all like the girl in this poem. Whenever we witness death, we turn away. We try to go back to normal and act like we don’t know what happens next, but it is difficult to pretend. I found this piece to be really thought-provoking, and wise beyond its years. Also, can I just say I love how the title flows into the first line of the piece? I think it’s really fascinating to see a poem where the title is not simply a heading used to label the piece, but also an important line in the poem, essential for understanding. The piece just wouldn’t be complete without it.
How to Not Say Regret by Grace Zhang
Another one that I reviewed as an editor during crunch time, and another one that stood out to me for its distinct voice and crisp language. I can’t claim to fully understand this piece, but I do love the strong images that Grace Zhang uses throughout the piece, especially the image of the heart falling to the floor, “thrashing like a / fish in a net.” I also love the fact that many of the lines are not complete sentences, but rather sentence fragments that flow together in a train-of-thought-esque style. I think that this piece was really well-written.
3rd Class by Ben Sibul
As an avid writer and reader of historical fiction, how could I not love this piece? With just a few deft strokes, Ben Sibul skillfully paints a picture of the characters and their struggles. It’s all in the small details, from the way that the girl “poke[s] her head around the… door” to the way that “her fingers [hold] the bread tightly,” as if she’s afraid that someone will take it away from her. The characterization is spot-on here, and it conveys a lot about the everyday burdens and struggles that the characters have faced. Perhaps what I love most about this piece is the fact that “the girl” is never given a name. She is simply “the girl,” and at the end of the piece, readers are left wondering, Who is this girl? Or more accurately, Who could she have been, if she hadn’t been swallowed by the icy waters? It is heartrending, and I am left with the haunting image of her “lifeless body rock[ing] in the waves.” Beautiful storytelling!