Such a delight to be sharing readings from our Magic issue! Join us every Saturday and Sunday to watch new videos from contributors and 2020 Lit Award winners.
Today we have work from Emmy Newman, our runner-up in the 2020 Lit Awards for poetry. Of her poem “You Will See It Coming & You Won’t Run”, our judge, Heather Lang-Cassera, writes:
Emmy Newman approaches a storm of catastrophes which could have been too difficult to bear: natural disasters, unattended luggage, life-threatening illnesses, and a variety of other tragic matters. Astute gestures of kindness to the reader, however, allow us to sit in the palpable apocalyptic moment that is “You Will See It Coming & You Won’t Run.” Through masterful poetic craft—such as humor, including “the neighbor’s Chihuahua throwing its tiny body against the fence,” and unlikely couplets, which lend a comforting sense of stability to the verse—Newman is able to approach a rapid-fire narrative of topics that might otherwise be too dark, too painful, to engage. Even the frightening lack of punctuation at the conclusion of the poem, possibly signifying the end of times, is served up in good company and with comfort food, “slices of rhubarb pie on our favorite blue-edged plates.” Although we could not have foreseen the health and economic crises COVID-19 would bring to us while we were reading for the Witness Literary Awards back in late 2019, Emmy Newman’s superb poem, complete with panic-induced canned-food purchases and bedroom carpet worn thin by anxious pacing, swept me in then as it does now. Newman is a poet of true pathos, one who can skillfully cast light on the world and its complexities, urging us through our own authentic explorations of the human condition.
Enjoy!
As a special deal highlighting our contributors this month, we are offering 25% off our Magic Issue and Witness Memberships in our online shop when you type their name as a coupon code. $1 from every sale & tip jar donation this month with coupon codes will go to help first responders in the COVID-19 crisis. Add “EMMY” to unlock savings today!
Author Bio:Emmy Newman is a current MFA candidate at the University of Idaho. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in New Ohio Review, Cream City Review, Inverted Syntax, and elsewhere. She has been nominated for two Pushcart Prizes and currently serves as the poetry editor for Fugue.
Instagram: @she_wins_an_emmy
