Posted by Christine Davis, GD Nonfiction Reader for 3.2
The time has come readers, writers, and lovers of words. Gandy Dancer 3.2 is almost here, ready for consumption! After months reviewing wonderful submissions in the categories of poetry, fiction, art, and non-fiction from students all over New York State, we have whittled down our numbers and emerged with a collection of some of our best work yet!
There are many pieces to look forward to in this issue of Gandy Dancer. One unique submission to the non-fiction genre is Kathryn Waring’s “Open Diary.” A story about the narrator’s epilepsy and her search to understand how bodies can operate outside of our control, the piece is beautifully woven with images that are in a similar format to a graphic novel. Sarah Steil’s “Oblivious” is also a key non-fiction work, detailing the narrator’s and her siblings’ unique and interesting interactions with one another and their reactions to a mother who doesn’t seem to know what’s going on in her children’s lives or in her own.
In the poetry department, “Lip Prints: Fuse My Genes With Fish Scales” by Christina Mortellaro achingly paints the picture of an attempt to describe the appearance of a loved one. The speaker claims, “I could never melt enough crayons, / whirl them with petroleum to make the right shade / for your irises. I purple them / instead with puckered burgundy.” Also worthy of praise is Rachel Beneway’s “Tap Shoe Memento Mori,” a glimpse of an aging dancer with her own eccentric outlook, and “Police Erasure” by Katryna Pierce, which explores criminal events from a police blotter in a unique way.
3.2 also features Ethan Keeley’s review of Karin Lin-Greenberg’s Faulty Predictions, as well as an interview with the author. Keeley notes the strength of Lin-Greenberg’s characters, and how they work through their struggles, whether these are with family, environment, or their emotions. Many of the characters in our fiction submissions also suffer through similar battles, like the main character of Sarah Hopkins’ “Galatea in Blue,” who cannot seem to stop himself from crossing the line with his young and unaware muse.
Our cover art, “Bridge to Fall,” is courtesy of James Mattson, and features a dark bridge offset with colorful, vibrant leaves. It’s a beautiful photograph and we are thrilled that it will be readers’ first impression of 3.2. We’re thrilled too that a variety of SUNY students are represented in this issue, with contributors from Poly, Plattsburgh, Fredonia, New Paltz, Purchase, Oswego, Binghamton, Stony Brook, Erie Community College, as well as Geneseo. Make sure you join us for our Launch Party on May 7th at 9:30 am in the Hunt Room in Geneseo’s College Union, where we’ll celebrate these fantastic writers from around the state!