After reading 1200+ poems, hours of deliberation, and countless shots of cold coffee, the third issue of Muzzle is out. We have been blessed beyond reason to be able to consider so many gutsy and soulful poems for this issue, and we hope you enjoy getting to read the poems in this issue as much as we have.

This issue features poems from 15 poets (14 new poets and one Muzzle veteran, Carrie Rudzinski):

Geoff Kagan Trenchard*
Marcus Wicker*
Elaina Ellis
Nandi Comer*
Michael Mlekoday
Shelell Freeman
Alan King
Lindsay Miller
Steve Subrizi*
Irène P. Mathieu*
Susie Swanton
Khadijah Queen
Todd Anderson*
Carrie Rudzinski*
Jeffrey Dieter
* denotes poems with audio recordings

We also have some pretty stunning art selections. Notably, this issue features photography from our youngest contributor yet, 14-year-old Eleanor Bennett of the UK. 

This issue features art from:
Eleanor Bennett
Jason Fairchild
Ritika Gandhi
George McKim
Christopher Woods

This issue’s review section is headed off by JW Basilo’s sober and eloquent review of the late Kent Foreman’s last performance. This issue also features an interview with Mahogany Browne and reviews of Roger Bonair-Agard’s new book Gully (by Zoelle Egner) and Carlos Cumpián’s new chapbook 14 Abriles: Poems (by CJ Laity). 


All our best,

Muzzle

Laura Yes Yes' sultry, wry first book, How to Seduce a White Boy in Ten Easy Steps, dazzles with its bold exploration into the politics and metaphysics of identity. From fierce and funny sexual fantasias to cutting observations of interracial dynamics, her work asks us to fully consider what it is to be human in an age of fragmentation and double meanings. Laura skillfully navigates the trauma of being Other while acknowledging the absurdity of our perceptions of race and gender. With precise craft and breathtaking imagery, How to Seduce a White Boy blooms as a ferocious celebration of life.

To get your hands on a copy of this astonishing debut book, go to the Write Bloody Store: http://writebloody.com/store/index.html.

Founded in 1976, The Pushcart Prize honors the best literary work (short stories, poetry, and essays) published by small presses each year. I am thrilled that Muzzle is able to nominate six pieces for consideration this year. After much deliberation (soliciting votes from editors, dramatically reading the poems to unsuspecting guests at parties and gauging their reactions, etc), Muzzle's nominations for The Pushcart Prize are:

• The Spider Farm by Christian Drake
  
• Wait by Jeanann Verlee and Carlos Andres Gomez
  
• Stealing the Pumpkins by Chandra E.A. Dickson
• How to Tell My Dad that I Kissed a Man by F. Douglas Brown
• "Frida Kahlo to Diego," or "the ways my body feels empty sometimes" by Jamila Woods
• Blackberry Harvest by Keith S. Wilson

Please join me in wishing these fabulous poets luck. We are blessed beyond reason to have so many talented and soulful writers in our first two issues. 


-Stevie Edwards

The Best of the Web anthology is published annually by DZNAC Books. This series features the best poetry, fiction, and non-fiction published in online literary journals. Each journal is allowed to nominate 3 pieces published within the last year (September 1, 2009 - October 31, 2010). Considering all the stunning poems we've had the honor publishing thus far, choosing 3 pieces was certainly not an easy task. 

Here are our nominees:
"Happiness is a Hot Mess" by Lauren Zuniga (2nd Issue)
"When a Boy Kisses Your Son" by Jonterri Gadson (2nd Issue)
"A Few Reasons We Left the Farm" by Benjamin Clark (1st Issue)


-Stevie Edwards

Muzzle has the opportunity to nominate 3 poems for Best of the Web 2011 (put out by DZNAC Books). We want to know which poems (from either of our issues) struck your fancy the most. Please fill in the comment form below with your suggestions. 

I have heard some chatter about how the Muzzle editorial process works. I never intended for the process to be elusive to our readers, and I would like to break it down as best I can.

1) I personally read every single poem that is submitted to Muzzle. For this past issue, I had the distinct pleasure of reading a little shy of 800 poems. I sift through the poems and choose the 10-20% that are my favorites. Submissions that ignore our guidelines and/or contain numerous typos and grammatical errors generally do not make it into that batch.

2) I periodically (usually every other week) send batches of my favorite poems to our fabulous team of assistant poetry editors for review. When I send the poems out to the other editors, they are completely anonymous. I create an electronic form using Google that each of the editors has access to. For each poem, each editor gives their vote (yes, no, maybe, or other) and provides careful feedback on why they made their choice.

3) All the information gathered by the form is channeled into a nifty spreadsheet. When making the final cuts, I meticulously consider all of the feedback given on each poem. Ultimately, I do have the final say on everything, but I have no intention of going rogue with that responsibility; I greatly respect the opinions of the other editors.

Notes:
*Occasionally, multiple editors will love the core of a piece but voice similar concerns (perhaps a clunky line, a need for cutting, or a problem with the form), and I will give a poet the option of a re-write. This only happens with a couple poems each issue.

*If submissions continue to grow at as high of a rate as they are currently growing, I may eventually move to create a General Staff that divvies up the reading of the initial submissions.

-Stevie Edwards