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Poetry by Elisa Gabbert, Rauan Klassnik, Lara Glenum, & Rodney Koeneke

ABOUT THE ISSUE

Revision is not the process of “making a poem good,” nor “a good poem great.” Revision is changing a poem to more closely match its poet’s vision of its subject, whether that subject be denotative or perspective, story or song. The quality of a poem, like everything else in the world, is subjective. Great poets aren’t writing and revising to be great. Great poets are writing and revising because they’re interested in getting at something they’re really interested in.

This, it seems, can be anything. Lara Glenum weaves the attitudes and narratives that shape Western culture in with Western’s cultures greatest shames and crimes and excesses. Rodney Koeneke applies a lucidity of reference and perspective distinctly internet to the intimately personal. Rauan Klassnik twitches between sex & death, sacred & profane, and funny-ha-ha & funny-oof. Elisa Gabbert uses the strategies of the intellect to call attention to the ways in which the physical trumps the cerebral.

Just as poems can be about probably any subject tackled nearly any way, approaches to revision are, so far as we can tell, varied and endless. At the beginning of the editing process, the advice of others can be one of the easiest ways to achieve the disconnect from your work that will help improve it. Over time, however, one assembles an arsenal of tricks to help get one’s poems as close to their original intent, or eventual intent, or non-intent, or whatever, as possible.

We believe you’ll find something in the following pages striking and engaging enough to change your perceptions about what a poem can do, and we hope you carry it into your own writing practices. We appreciate everyone who took the time to share their work and thoughts for our inaugural all-poetry issue.