Dear Readers

Welcome to the 2017 winter issue of The High Window. We feel our eighth issue has many riches in store including: a feature on Bulgarian poetry commissioned and edited by Tom Phillips, an essay (and other creative ephemera including two fiction pieces) inspired by James Joyce by Neil Burns, artwork by Douglas Robertson (who’s has taken over from Angela Smyth), poems and talk from the American poet Jodie Hollander, reviews of the work of: Peter Robinson, Denise Riley, Philip Gross, Harry Clifton, Richard Boden, Charlotte Innes, and lastly poetry from 26 poets whose poems we are proud to showcase.

The predominant mood and feel of the poems in this issue seems to be one of reminiscence and redress, a relationship or a dialogue with the past that sometimes finds its answers in the afterlife. Of course, there are exceptions to this if you look at the poem ‘Verdict’ by Julia Deakin or the war poem by Joseph S. Pete, but the overall sentiment is one of acceptance if not resolve, realism and not resentment, an attitude exemplified by these excerpts from Martin Reed’s poem ‘Trains of Thought’:

Then meetings and departures,
lovers’ goodbyes over chipped white mugs
and Chelsea buns, not knowing if we felt
the loss – or just relief.

… I’m giving thanks for a lucky life,
whose chances brought me here,
pausing to hold the moment as it disappears
like wisps of steam in the poplar trees.

A big thank you to the poets and reviewers and the aforementioned who made this issue possible, especially Angela Smyth who has enriched our pages with her intensely beautiful illustrations and artwork.

The High Window receives no funding and is run by two volunteers. It is free to read (or feel free to not read) but we can be helped if any readers are interested in buying books from our Press Page. At the moment we are still managing to publish one book with every issue of the journal. December’s publication for 2017 is by the very talented and original English poet Steve Ely and is called: Bloody, proud and murderous men, adulterers and enemies of God. Steve’s book can be ordered now via the Press Page where you can find more details about the content of this collection.

Happy Winter!

The Editors