New Poem, hex @ AWP

I sometimes think to myself: “you can write about anything as long as you write it well.” This is, of course, not true. There might be a variety of reasons we shouldn’t write something—legal reasons, ethical reasons—but I tend to believe that generally, we shouldn’t limit how and what we create, so long as our creating isn’t actually harming anybody. One such subject is the death of animals—most often cats and dogs—in writing.

Over a decade ago, I wrote a (very bad) story that included a short scene of a stray cat getting caught in an animal trap. The (very bad) story was rejected from everywhere, likely because it was (very bad), but I still vividly remember that one such rejection included a note that “everyone on the editorial team were cat owners.” I also vividly remember thinking: “So?” Last year, while revisiting and filling out gaps of George Saunders’ short fiction, I read “The Red Bow,” originally published in Esquire in 2003. If you haven’t read the story, I don’t want to spoil it too much, but, uh, there is a LOT of animal death. It’s kind of the whole point. I found the story as a whole to be incredibly moving, surprising, and even funny, which isn’t unusual for George but certainly something we aren’t expecting with a story so focused on trauma. And, well, fucking Esquire published it. So, some thirteen years later or whatever, I am reassured.

And then, a few months ago, the ever fantastic Todd Dillard shared something on Bluesky pushing against the idea that fiction (or poetry or whatever) should not include or feature animal and pet death, that its inclusion in a piece of writing merited rejection from particular literary venues. To be sure, editors can take whatever they want. Any lit mag can choose to publish only pet death poems or zero pet death poems or anything in-between. What’s important for me is pushing against a notion of easy or cozy art. Art, at its best, changes how we process the world and life, grants us empathy in ways we normally couldn’t. So, spurred on by Todd’s post, I was inspired to write something new, something that (in my mind) would directly violate this “rule.”

The result of all of this was a verse poem, a genre that feels quite alien to me. I’m not sure why it took this form—maybe further inspiration from Todd, whose own poems are constantly challenging and inspiring me, and whose poems often tap into a deep well of pathos—or maybe some divine guidance or who really knows. I’m thrilled that the poem, Bathtub, is featured today on one of my absolute favorite new online literary spaces, Burial Magazine. Burial Magazine is helmed by Z.H. Gill, who, himself, is a phenomenal and inspiring writer of prose, poetry, and other experimental creations. He has already proven a deft ability to curate and platform some of the most exciting writing happening in online spaces. It is, to say the least, an immense privilege and honor to have Bathtub featured on Burial. So, without further ado, I hope you’ll spend a few minutes to check out my newest, a weirdo parenting poem, Bathtub.

I’m just now realizing that we are a mere two weeks away from AWP, and holy shit. It’s incredibly exciting (and a relief) to announce our third AWP hex offsite reading! This year, we are stoked and proud to present eight hex contributors in a flash-fire reading format! It’s just a small selection of the incredible writers we are lucky to showcase at hex, but I suspect it will be, as the kids say, a movie. If our past offsites are any indication, hex would encourage you to arrive early to ensure you get a spot! You’ll find us at Current Space on 421 N. Howard on Friday, March 6th. Doors @ 6. hex will run from 6:30-7:30, after which b l u s h and Broken River Books will have events that are sure to rip! Come make a full night of it!

Planning these things can be a little bit anxiety inducing. This year, it was made immensely easier by Mark Wadley & the Bruiser Mag team. In truly punk spirit, Mark worked with several independent journals and publishers as well as several spaces in Baltimore to help organize readings. It reduced so much of the headache and stress that goes into planning something like this, and we are forever grateful. Bruiser & friends have tons of events lined up for the AWP weekend and I implore you to go support them as much as you can, spend money on their stuff, and so on. And, of course, we are grateful to Current Space for allowing us to use their space. I really hope to see some and/or all of you!

Other things of note:

Until next time—

Dan