Cirrus@Austlit

'Nothing makes me feel my fallibility more than editing a literary journal, marking papers or judging a literary competition. I can be wrong. I can be unclear. I can miss things.

'There was a lot to read in guest editing this edition of Cordite. Anything done repetitively makes me question purpose. Reading poem after poem and marking them ‘yes’, ‘no’ or ‘maybe’ I never once questioned why we write poems, that was blatantly obvious. We are moved to from ‘inner necessity’ as Carl Jung says. It is evidence of being alive. It’s an exchange, a product, a reaction, a response to stimuli like sweat. I did however question what makes a poem. Every poem I read is a poem. But is it poetry? Is it living? Intent is clear, but what is purposefulness and does it matter? Reading for meaning is the first thing that needs to be put aside to come at a poem. If there is meaning it needs to come upon you, not be imposed by reader or writer, to actually be meaning. A judgement is not an insight. A judgement is not an idea. Solely expressing a sentiment does not make poetry. Expressing a preconceived idea is not alive. There needs to be some personal risk some not knowing and the unknown in it for it to alive. If there is no meaning it is part of a conversation or simply and validly being. I looked for poems that the writer let be.' (Claire Gaskin , Editorial introduction)