June 27, 2024
Hello Wildlings,
I’m writing this as June is coming to a close and we feel the shifting from one season into the next. It has now been just over 4 years since we published our first issue of Feral and here we are with Issue 19: Earth, Water, Fire, and Air. As I was thinking about what I want to tell you about this issue, I looked back at my letter from Issue 18 where I said that we were processing “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.” And now, six months later, I see in the poetry and art of Feral the tangible results of that “processing.” What I mean by that is that as we were selecting poems, I started noticing a connection between these wildly different voices and interpretations of the theme. A kind of quiet but purposeful refusal to stay in a place of despair. I was reminded of the words of Paul McCartney – take a sad song and make it better.
As the editor of a poetry journal, it might seem redundant for me to say that I love poetry. I don’t love it in a carefree or easy way. Poetry is my religion and I believe in its redemptive powers. I don’t know if poetry can save the world, but I absolutely believe that it can save people. And I believe that poets and artists are disciples – helping us navigate this chaotically beautiful thing we call life. As one of our contributors, John Dorroh, says – There are no secrets, only things that we haven’t figured out.
Thank you to the poets and artists who have trusted us with their work over the past 4 years and 19 issues.
With gratitude,
Beth Gordon
Managing Editor