I must admit it's been awhile since I was so impressed by a literary journal. Washington Square manages to assemble an unforgettable collection of writers between its covers.
The Summer 2003 issue features well-known poets like David Lehman, Ruth Stone and David Trinidad, along with lesser-known up-and-comers like Fritz Ward and Erin Lavelle.
The poetry in Washington Square is edgy with images that stretch your mind beyond simple descriptions of a forest. Urban angst is lurking within this literary journal, in poems like "The Retired Arsonist," by Patrick Moran:
He wasn't like the other arsonists, goatee,
ponytail, expensive Italian shoes. He was in
the yellow pages. You could find his face in
the demolition section, chubby but handsome,
surrounded by a ring of smiling flames.
There's also some lovely language in other poems, like in "Fugitive Notes on Certain Cantatas," by Douglas Smith:
Let her mouth flower, at night, into forms of praise.
Let the measured voice, the petals of tongue and breath,
scale the sky to render a stigmata of stars.
The short fiction in Washington Square is also thoroughly enjoyable, touching on a wide range of subjects with varied fresh voices. This is a well-rounded literary journal with something to please just about every taste.
