Posted by Lucia LoTempio, Head Poetry Editor for 2.2
Hello readers, writers, and literature lovers! I am so pleased to announce that Issue 2.2 is a go! After months of reading, copyediting, and too much Chinese food, our spring edition has made it to the printers. I know you all are like me and can’t wait to get that shiny new copy in your hands—and let me tell you, the cover this year is thebomb.com. They’ll be calling your name on Amazon and at our Launch Party April 30th at 2:30pm in the Hunt Room in Geneseo (be there or be square).
Our contributors this time around were selected from our largest submission pool yet. Each piece has a unique permanence that commands attention. Some are sharp in their poignancy, while others are invigorated with humor. Not one is the same.
This issue will feature Hannah Glaser, whose art is a focal point in the issue. Her art is elevated by her awareness of composition and color. Her watercolor portraits draw on the everyday, but are specific in their demand for intimacy. They also maintain a dreamlike quality, much like her quill and ink drawing of a street in Geneseo. You know that what she is depicting is realistic, but you can’t tell if it is “real life” or a dreamscape.
Along this vein of unreality, Andrea Springer’s poem “Barbie’s Confrontation Dreamhouse” is easily one of the funniest pieces in the upcoming issue. With killer lines like, “Fill pliable head with thoughts of being sexy doctor & sexy astronaut & sexy Susan B Anthony / to forcibly squeeze out irritants. Meld four surrounding digits into springloaded middle finger,” Springer is hyper-aware of the connotations that come with discourse about Barbie, and pushes them into this new space. She will make you laugh and she will also make you think.
While Stephanie Nawrocki also has some comedic moments in her personal essay about a restaurant where she worked “Broken Bucket Wisdom,” her skilled use of detail and language leaves you heartbroken. I found myself tearing up as the narrator recalls her mother’s complete rejection of her sexuality. This is underscored by her older coworker Yasuko’s wisdom. The piece maintains a realness and an honesty that defines good nonfiction.
There are many more talented writers and artists in this issue. The issue features fiction by Suraj Uttamchandani, James Fitz Gerald, Jim Ryan, Sarah Christ, Joshua Keller, and Brandon Rumaker; nonfiction by Meagan Kearns and Emily Webb; poetry by Bibi Lewis, Anna Kushnir, Madeline Herrick, Sarah Corcoran, Joseph O’Connor, Stephon Lawrence, and Megan Nolan; art by Julianna Rocco, Joseph O’Connor, Sarah Simon, Samantha Lambert, Jason Zimmerman, and Danielle Levin; and music and lyrics by Kirsten Maxwell and Amy Bishop. The issue also features an interview with fiction writer and author of At-Risk, Amina Gautier.
Our issue is diverse, but maintains a sense of cohesion. Our submissions spanned the SUNY system, and we are pleased to be publishing work from many different universities, including SUNY Albany, SUNY Geneseo, SUNY Binghamton, and SUNY Fredonia. We know you will enjoy this collection of artists and writers as much as we do. Get your copy ASAP!