Howlings from the Wall
welcome to the final issue in this our first volume. it has been an interesting and enlightening year of publishing. when we first started this zine our run was fifty posters, each new issue brought more demand so we grew. twenty poster zines one month, thirty the next, until we reached the limit of resources (financially), giving us the present run of 200 copies which are mailed as far south as southern california, west to vancouver bc, and east to london england. and now that we are on the world wide web (www), we can be seen around the world. i would like to thank all those who have supported us with their subscriptions and those who have submitted to us.
i received a paperback anthology of poetry from one of our subscribers a few months ago. it's called heartland voice, published by winnipeg free press. this anthology contains the writings of manitobans and it was printed in the spring/summer 1995. this anthology presented a bit of a problem because of the nature of the contributions. if i judge it solely on its literary quality i'd be hard pressed to recommend this book. i feel the anthology should be read from the point of view of the feelings being expressed by a group of writers which represent a region of this country which, to use a much maligned word, is "distinct". having said that, it was interesting to see how familiar the lives being described are to what i know as a maritimer now living in ottawa. but part way through i realized that i could relate to these writers and their work.
a surprising feature of this anthology, was the number of poems which spoke of peoples' christian faith or spirituality, something in my normal diet of books and mag's i've seldom encountered. another feature of this anthology was the number of poems that remember the events of war; the loss, horror and bravery of canadian men and women.
i don't know whether it was editorial choice or happenstance, but almost all the poems in this edition are either metrical and/or contain rhymes. it was almost as if these writers have as their main influence poets such as robert frost. i know when i was first introduced to poetry as an elementary student, and through my primary school years, this was the model i was presented with. i've been given to understand since writing this review that this style of poetry is having a resurgence. personally, i'm not sure whether it's a legitimate use of an older literary form or ignorance of alternatives. when done well the poetry sings. However, most of the poets that used it tried too hard to look for words that rhyme and the poems suffered.
i can't rave over this anthology, but as a collection of poems from one province it provides a valuable look into the lives of these canadians. in many respects they are as we are, yet deeply attached to and defined by their prairie surroundings. if you would like to order one send $4.00 to the winnipeg free press, winnipeg manitoba.
are you new muse 1996? tom schmit of warren, manitoba is new muse 1995 for his poetry manuscript, the best lack all. his prize is book publication with broken jaw press. to receive new muse 1996 entry guidelines send a #10-size sase to: box 596, fredericton nb e3b 5a6.
Have you seen the writing on the
wall
Managing Editor:
b stephen harding, Editors: Robert Craig & Christal Steck, Consulting
Editor: Seymour Mayne
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