The Maynard
Spring 2014

Introduction

Cover art by Bee Kapitan.

As we read through these poems again what strikes us is their generosity. Sixteen poems by fourteen poets make up this issue of The Maynard, but there‘s more here than that. It‘s there in the precise and unexpected word choices, in the particular music of the lines, in each poem‘s commitment to its own logic, and in the play of emotions and ideas throughout. And it‘s this very uniqueness that invites us in as readers, and provides the means for us to connect with the poet. Through their art each of these poems shows us a world. And when we recognize that world a poem-shaped space opens up inside us, the readers, too.

We hope you enjoy this latest issue of The Maynard. This is our third as editors, and it‘s been a wonderful experience. We continue to be amazed by the number and the quality of poems that reach our inbox from all over the world. Thank you to all the poets and artists who submitted their work for consideration. Keep sending your work in! We read every word of every poem submitted and will always try to do so with fresh eyes and open minds.

Thank you too to Bee Kapitan who provided the fun cover image for this issue. And thanks, again, to the authors who took the time to send in audio recordings. You will notice that we‘ve kept the shuffle feature for the table of contents we introduced in our last issue. During your visit the poems will stay in the same order you see them in the contents now. But when you come back next time they will be in different order. Hopefully you‘ll see a new connection every time.

Raoul Fernandes, Mark Hoadley, Ram Randhawa
editors, The Maynard
September 2014