Brittle Star review
Brittle Star issue 23
Magazines created with no agenda other than to celebrate the written word tend to shine with a very particular light, and Brittle Star positively blazes, each starry point aflame with passion.
The opening editorial of issue 23 offers a rare insight into the lives of the editors of such a publication, with a revelation from Louise Hooper that each of them has to gain an income via other means. It’s a wonderfully chatty and candid piece of writing, as well as inspirational, and made us instantly warm to the team and turn to the rest of the magazine with fresh anticipation.
The majority of the pages are taken up by poems of a particular ilk, shooting from the pages with enviable energy, sparsely worded yet offering a vivid clarity.
In issue 23 all were exquisite, but we particularly loved Siesta Hour by Wayne Burrows, which offered lines such as “the snow of spores and seeds that drift in brightness, seeking open flowers.”
Other treasures included Amy Blakemore’s gorgeously titled Licking Future Doctors, a blend of the beautiful and the grotesque that left us with the image of fingers that push “into the bunched silk of entrails”. Deeper into the magazine, Anne Mae Selby painted a brilliantly observed picture of human nature in People Who.
The solitary short story in the issue, The Jacket, by Chris Castle, was evidently chosen with equal care, with a focus on three lives deftly encompassing the experiences of countless soldiers and their families. To us, it summed up Brittle Star’s appeal - immense stories summed up in a few, powerful words.
One of the most delicious features was Potato Soup, an examination by Claire Massey of fairy tales old, new and evolved, that made us yearn to re-read our childhood favourites.
Claire is the editor of www.NewFairyTales.co.uk, and her inclusion in the magazine demonstrated another of Brittle Star’s motivations, that of casting light on and drawing attention to those of us who devote our time, spare or otherwise, to the world of literature in every form.
It’s an enjoyable and enlightening read, and one we plan to revisit at every chance.
For details on how to submit or subscribe, please visit www.brittlestar.org.uk
To submit a review of a book, course, film, magazine or website, please email judy@EssentialWriters.com
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