June 1, 2020
Jumping into Issue 2 of Feral I admit I was nervous. We all loved our first issue and I wondered if we could repeat that experience. But as I started reading submissions, I was reminded of the very theme that we had asked contributors to interpret – transformation. I knew we had to allow this journal to evolve and change. It takes a certain bravado to start a new journal, and I was riding that wave of bravado when we built Issue 1. But for me, Issue 2 was a more humbling and learning experience. I continued to learn that as willing as I am to make decisions on my own – this journal is made richer by the diverse perspectives and life experiences of our team. I learned that if we genuinely want our contributors to surprise us then we must allow ourselves to be surprised and to consider submissions that don’t fit neatly into our guidelines.
I think the most important thing I learned is that, while I appreciate and respect journals that build their reputation on their aesthetic, this is not what Feral will be. I never want to tell potential contributors to “read through past issues to get a sense of what we like.” We will be wild, undomesticated, and unpredictable. We will not artificially limit ourselves to the number of poets or artists or pieces we will publish. We will allow ourselves to be uncomfortable and enchanted in new ways. And we will always, always bring you an eclectic gathering of voices and visions from around the world.
Thank you always to Eli, visionary EIC of Animal Heart Press. Thank you, thank you to my readers Ade, Sam, and Amanda. Thank you to our brilliant contributors – welcome to the Feral family.
And an extra thank you to Amanda who builds each issue on our website and decided that we also needed to be a print journal. Seriously, without the work she does behind the scenes we would be “all dressed up with no place to go.” If you haven’t seen it already, Issue 1 is available in print. https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/beth-gordon-editor/feral-a-journal-of-poetry-and-art/paperback/product-1gq9dyw7.html
Enjoy and let us hear from you. Follow us on Twitter @feral_of and Facebook.
Beth Gordon
Managing Editor