EDITOR'S STATEMENT, ISSUE 5

There couldn't be a better time to repeat the disclaimers those who edit and compile "feature issues" for poetry magazines often use. These usually include: "this is not meant to be an all-inclusive lineup of poets;" "there is no practical way to fairly, evenly represent the entire writing populace;" etc. Simply put, Slope's New Avant Poetry Sampler does not deviate from this line of thinking.

What you will read in the New Avant Poetry Sampler is new work from 10 poets, all Americans, who provide a tantalizing peek - peek, mind you, not a sweeping vista that wholly takes in the poetic landscape by any means - into the ways poets are exploring the possibilities of language, the spaces and fractured silences between words, the lacunae between symbols and meanings.

Also included within are new poems by England's Martin Stannard, Australia's T.A.R. Wallace and California's Jono Schneider, whose new glossy journal Untitled makes its inception soon. Several young American poets, Chris Russell and Chris Custer, make their Slope debuts.

Special thanks to Lewis LaCook, who functioned as editorial assistant and liasion for the New Avant Poetry Sampler.

-Ethan Paquin, July 2000



ABOUT SLOPE

Slope is a bi-monthly, online journal devoted to contemporary poetry being written around the globe in English. Contributors hail from countries including Australia, England, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. We encourage new and emerging writers, while continuing to publish award-winning and established poets.

Slope occasionally features "sampler" issues. Recent or upcoming examples include New Avant Poetry (Issue 5), Contemporary Womens Poetry (Issue 6) and New Welsh and British Poetry (Issue 9).

Poets featured and/or forthcoming in Slope include Heather McHugh, Dara Wier, Franz Wright, Eric Pankey, Charles Bernstein, Simon Perchik, Eugen Jebeleanu, Mary Jo Bang, Ron Silliman, Joe Wenderoth, John Kinsella, Timothy Liu, Margot Schilpp, Pam Brown, Peter Finch, Kevin Hart, Peter Minter, Brian Henry, Lee Upton, Katy Lederer, Drew Milne, Mark Bibbins, Coral Hull, Graham Foust, Jonathan Monroe, Susan Schultz, Louis Armand, Spencer Selby, Christine Hume, and many others.



WRITERS' GUIDELINES

The editor invites electronic submissions of 2 to 6 poems in experimental and traditional styles.

All poems submitted must be previously unpublished and accompanied by a brief biographical note. Unsolicited poems, reviews, interviews and poems in translation will be considered year-round. Please query before sending reviews and interviews.

Rights revert to poets upon publication. Unfortunately, we can not at this time offer payment for any work accepted.

All work (c) 2000 the authors. Poems may not be reproduced without consent of the authors.



MASTHEAD

Editor & Founder - Ethan Paquin
Designer - Steve Palmer of 76design Inc.