Welcome to Issue 33! With the work of 22 poets included here, this is our biggest issue to date. As the years roll by, Radar Poetry gains a wider and wider audience. And, along with that, our number of submissions continues to grow. We could disclose just how many submissions we receive each reading period, but we’re afraid that number might scare you. Suffice it to say: our little kitchen table pet project is no longer just that. We love Radar more and more with every passing day, but oh my, what a big girl she has grown to be!
We hope you love the poems collected here. They represent a range of interests and perspectives. There are a few poems which rely on the intersection of levity and gravitas to achieve their delicate tonal balance. If you’ve never tried to write like this, we assure you that it takes great mastery of craft to strike that perfect note.
This issue includes poems in couplets, poems in tercets, poems consisting of a single stanza, poems in stanzas of irregular length, and a lovely sonnet for your reading pleasure. Many of the poets in this issue also use white space with narrative intention. Pretty cool, huh?
In the spring of 2022, we opened to unsolicited submissions by visual artists for the first time. Five of these artists are featured in Issue 33. In the fall, artists will again have the opportunity to submit. We also want to give a friendly reminder that Coniston Prize submissions are open through August 1, 2022. This year’s preeminent judge is Dorianne Laux. We can't wait to read your poems!
Happy summer, happy reading, and thank you once again for meeting us on the page.
—Rachel Marie Patterson & Dara-Lyn Shrager, Editors