Editor's Note
I am overjoyed to present Alegrarse's first ever issue of original poetry. This would not be possible without the remarkable, surprising, and gratitude-filling support of the Issue One contributors - Justin Bean, Chloe Clark, Logan February, Ethan Milner, Archana Sridhar, Jarred Thompson, and Khalypso - nor would it be possible without the support of everyone who submitted whose work did not find a place in this issue. Thank you for your brilliance.
For the first time, I am able to have something tangible to refer to when explaining my goal with this humble online project. The work that Alegrarse publishes is eccentric, exciting, endearing, and experimental. Each of these poems are as much of a joy to read aloud as they are to stumble through. Chloe Clark finds intimacy in the mundane; Logan February contrasts simplicity with vulnerability; Ethan Milner elegiacally and cleverly bends form to his needs; Archana Sridhar flaunts her dexterous diction as she runs with the sounds she has found buried in language; Jarred Thompson delights, distorts, and dumbfounds; Khalypso holds both tenderness and sexuality in the palms of their hands. & of course, visual artist Justin Bean provided a beautiful and fitting piece for the issue.
Alegrarse began as a direct response to controversy: in 2018, poetry began to more consistently make national news headlines, but somehow, all of the light that I was witnessing, as a poet reading the work of other poets, simply was not there. Instead, whenever poetry managed to be in the headlights of large media conglomerates, it was by way of an unethical, divisive poem. Articles would run noting the exponential increase in poetry readership, especially amongst millennials, yet the next month would run a think-piece calling poetry a "dead art," followed by a "Best Of" or "End-of-Year" list that would regularly omit poetry collections.
It was generally upsetting to see something I care so deeply for only be actively discussed at its worst. Alegrarse is born out of the desire to be a dramatic contrast to this negativity. In Spanish, "alegrarse" means "to rejoice," and the entire purpose of this journal is to celebrate and lift up the work of poets. Alegrarse lead first with the Close-Readings Issue, which published interpretations of particularly delightful and impressive poems, in an attempt to highlight the absurd amount of craft and dedication that goes in to writing a poem, to commemorate the poet's efforts. In addition to this, Alegrarse has regularly managed a "Favorites" list, which has been updated for this issue as a "Recommended Reading" list for 2019, to be updated as the year progresses, as a method of recognizing the tremendous amount of poetic ingenuity across the web, highlighting work from poets not even tangentially related to Alegrarse. We are dedicated to sharing good work.
For this issue, Alegrarse will continue this tradition. Although our contributor's list for this first issue is small, over the course of the next couple days, brief interviews will be released in which the poet's writing process, how they became inspired to write the piece, and more, can all be discussed. Conversations about poetics, about the poet's passions will be held at an importance level equal to that of the poem. Alegrarse is a place for noticing small delights.
I hope that this mission excites you as much as it excites me. Thank you, truly, for reading.
Gratefully,
Bailey Cohen
Editor
For the first time, I am able to have something tangible to refer to when explaining my goal with this humble online project. The work that Alegrarse publishes is eccentric, exciting, endearing, and experimental. Each of these poems are as much of a joy to read aloud as they are to stumble through. Chloe Clark finds intimacy in the mundane; Logan February contrasts simplicity with vulnerability; Ethan Milner elegiacally and cleverly bends form to his needs; Archana Sridhar flaunts her dexterous diction as she runs with the sounds she has found buried in language; Jarred Thompson delights, distorts, and dumbfounds; Khalypso holds both tenderness and sexuality in the palms of their hands. & of course, visual artist Justin Bean provided a beautiful and fitting piece for the issue.
Alegrarse began as a direct response to controversy: in 2018, poetry began to more consistently make national news headlines, but somehow, all of the light that I was witnessing, as a poet reading the work of other poets, simply was not there. Instead, whenever poetry managed to be in the headlights of large media conglomerates, it was by way of an unethical, divisive poem. Articles would run noting the exponential increase in poetry readership, especially amongst millennials, yet the next month would run a think-piece calling poetry a "dead art," followed by a "Best Of" or "End-of-Year" list that would regularly omit poetry collections.
It was generally upsetting to see something I care so deeply for only be actively discussed at its worst. Alegrarse is born out of the desire to be a dramatic contrast to this negativity. In Spanish, "alegrarse" means "to rejoice," and the entire purpose of this journal is to celebrate and lift up the work of poets. Alegrarse lead first with the Close-Readings Issue, which published interpretations of particularly delightful and impressive poems, in an attempt to highlight the absurd amount of craft and dedication that goes in to writing a poem, to commemorate the poet's efforts. In addition to this, Alegrarse has regularly managed a "Favorites" list, which has been updated for this issue as a "Recommended Reading" list for 2019, to be updated as the year progresses, as a method of recognizing the tremendous amount of poetic ingenuity across the web, highlighting work from poets not even tangentially related to Alegrarse. We are dedicated to sharing good work.
For this issue, Alegrarse will continue this tradition. Although our contributor's list for this first issue is small, over the course of the next couple days, brief interviews will be released in which the poet's writing process, how they became inspired to write the piece, and more, can all be discussed. Conversations about poetics, about the poet's passions will be held at an importance level equal to that of the poem. Alegrarse is a place for noticing small delights.
I hope that this mission excites you as much as it excites me. Thank you, truly, for reading.
Gratefully,
Bailey Cohen
Editor
