Editor’s Note:
For this Gulf Stream issue, we’re embracing the night, what Carl Jung called “the shadow self.” Our artists explore the dark caverns of the mind—from the whirlwind of hands in the cover photo, “Rummage and Return” to the bleak cornfields of the piece, “The Universe Is Shaped Exactly Like the Earth,” where a woman gives birth to the supernatural.
Rooks, scarecrows, and sparrows linger silently in the poem, “Mawpin,” while the Maumee River flows with Jung’s musings in the sestina, “Fish.” Step back into the past with our story, “Which Steals Men’s Eyes,” set in a lighthouse in 1890 and bursting with surprises, and enjoy the rest of this issue’s diverse selection of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.
With all this darkness, we haven’t forgotten the light, and our new, vibrant background, “Scraps,” depicts colorful bits of paper, reminiscent of piñatas in a Miami birthday party. And speaking of Miami, check out our interview with local poet, Neil de la Flor, who relates his project on queer writing and the new literary festival he’s creating.
While you’re in our features section, read our review of Dexter L. Booth’s first book, Scratching the Ghost, or scroll over to our interview with Jim Daniels, who candidly discusses his teaching and “emotional urgency” in his poetry.
It’s a haunting, captivating issue, memorable with exploratory forms, such as the lyric essay, “Vietnam in Footnotes.”
I’d like to give a huge thanks to the incredible staff and editorial team. They are the talented writers and readers that have worked tirelessly to bring you this issue.
Lastly, thank you to my work partner, Paul Christiansen, an industrious and talented poet who will navigate the magazine to even greater literary merit in the upcoming fall and spring semester.
I leave Gulf Stream in good hands, and I’m grateful for the amazing adventure of working at this flourishing literary magazine.
Here’s to a celebration of the present, a remembrance of the past, and a vision of the future for Gulf Stream.
Cheers,
Veronica Suarez
Editor-in-Chief
Which Steals Men’s Eyes by Bryan Shawn Wang
Taking My Drunk Uncle Cleveland Home by Telisha Moore Leigg
The Universe Is Shaped Exactly Like the Earth by Nicholas Reali
Immaculate Devices by Damien Roos
New Girl by Randolyn Zinn
Vietnam in Footnotes by Nicole Oquendo
Way Back by DG Rose
Barely Out Of Reach by Maggie Gerrity
A Conversation by Dean Julius
from Leafmold by F. Daniel Rzicznek
My Last Fishing Trip by William Walsh
Furlongs Home by Dean Julius
Burying by Sarah McCartt-Jackson
Fish by Leonard Kress
And Sometimes by Letitia Montgomery-Rodgers
Mawpin by Brandon Courtney
Interview with Leonard Nash
Interview with Jim Daniels
Interview with Neil de la Flor
Review of Scratching the Ghost by Dexter Booth
Gulf Stream Magazine 