December 31, 2023
Hello wildlings –
As we wrap up the year here at Feral and Animal Heart Press, I would like to ask you all for some grace. By “all” I mean our readers and contributors. Like many of you, our team has faced numerous personal challenges this year and we are TIRED. We are passionate about this little press and journal, but the world seems to be perpetually on fire, both figuratively and literally. Kindness and compassion seem to be in short supply. And we all continue to process our collective trauma from the pandemic, global wars, daily violence, and a near constant trickle of doubt and despair that we have destroyed our planet…and thus, ourselves.
So, I ask for your grace as I find myself struggling to say something meaningful as Managing Editor. And I ask for your trust when I tell you that I believe you will find some comfort in the pages of Issue 18 – the ANIMAL issue. As always, we have brought you a diverse array of voices and interpretations of the theme. What they have in common is that in contemplating the animals around us and our relationship to the natural world – we find our own humanity. And, for me personally, I find once again that poetry and art are my salvation during the darkest days. I hope the same is true for you.
Wishing you all a peaceful and very Happy New Year,
Beth Gordon
Managing Editor
P.S. If you’re going to be at AWP, come find us (Animal Heart Press). We are sharing a table with River Heron Review.