Posted by Oliver Diaz, Managing Editor
Like a shot of espresso, a Best Of issue is a short burst of concentrated content. Dynamic and packed with the best fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and cover art of the last 25 years, Best of The Angle is St. John Fisher’s literary espresso shot. Published in 2016, the anthology also features interviews with the authors alongside their revived writings spanning back to as early as 1956 and as late as 2011.
The joy of a Best Of compilation is in the consistent quality and The Angle delivers in all forms. Tom Hughes’ poem “OINK,” published in 1967, recalls the counter-culture during the Vietnam War, and, like all the work in the anthology, is complimented by an interview in which the author expounds upon his inspiration. On the other hand, full of emotion, distress, and mystery, Emilio Lopez’s story “Reluctant Brother” explores the relationship between two brothers as one tries to call the other back to the family. Lopez’s story is patient, chilling, and, according to him, verges toward the Twilight Zone.
Amidst these dissonant pieces, one finds Erin Hopkins from 1999 and her five couplets titled “The Five Versions of Stars,” in which the reader laughs, smiles, and breathes in the face of lighthearted wit and innocence.
While all of the back issues of The Angle are available online at the old website, the first issue of ANGLES is accessible at the new site. Yes, the first issue. The Angle has been revived as ANGLES. Find their new easy-to-use website here.
Starting with a full redesign in Fall 2016, St. John Fisher College revived their prestige literary journal as an online project titled ANGLES. Although previously housing only work from their own student writers, ANGLES now accepts work from all college-age writers. With that in mind, submissions are accepted in poetry, creative nonfiction, and fiction. Get ideas of what they’re looking for here or check out their first issue (woo!) on their site. Congratulations to the faculty staff advisor (an old Geneseo friend) Stephen J. West and to St. John Fisher College! We wish them the best of luck in the future and offer our praise.