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“It’s been an awkward year for me.” When Jessica Karbowiak says this in her essay “The Second Scraping,” it is the understatement of this new issue.
It’s been an awkward year for us too, the editors of Blood Orange Review, but on a more literal level. Our submissions have increased four-fold, and while we have thoughtful and dedicated interns who have helped us with this transition (thank you, thank you, Washington State University!), we have often found ourselves out of breath.
For us, even more now than ever, a new issue provides a much needed pause, an opportunity to sit back and appreciate the writers we’ve been lucky enough to find along the way.
In conversation with the longer pieces collected in this issue, the poetic sketches of Leonard Gontarek (“Study / Early Summer” and “Study / Pond”) and Danielle Hanson (“The bird throws herself” and “Puddle Bird”) offer a striking contrast. I’ve read these little gems over and over, and each time, time stops.
It’s summer. The daylight lingers. The better to read this new issue by. Perhaps you’ve had an awkward week, or year, or life. Take pause and catch your breath with us.
Stephanie Lenox, editor
Blood Orange Review
PS - If you are still awaiting a response from us, please rest assured that it will receive the careful read-through it deserves. It just might take us a little longer. Starting fall 2011, we will be making changes to our format and editorial schedule in order to better manage the number of submissions we receive. Sign up for our e-newsletter to receive updates on those changes!
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