Editor’s Note by Kristina Marie Darling


It is truly an honor to introduce the twenty-fifth issue of Tupelo Quarterly. With the launch of this milestone issue, we are excited to highlight several exciting new voices in the literary arts. Cynie Cory, for instance, shows us the myriad ways that poetry can bridge the gap between tradition and innovation in a folio that is impressive in its formal range and ambition. Ayomide Festus, whose star is also rising, weaves together myth and postmodern experimental forms in a poem that is both timely and understated.

This issue is one of our best ones yet, representing a full range of aesthetic approaches, formal predilections, and writerly influences. In many ways, this diversity arises from our Senior and Associate Editors’ impressive array of critical and creative projects, and the infinitely varied questions they ask of language. As always, it is a pleasure to showcase their interests in our Editorial Features section, highlighting the myriad influences that shape our magazine and its offerings. Similarly, our Editors’ Selections in Poetry, Prose, and Visual Art showcase work that has been important to our editors’ development as creative practitioners and critical thinkers.

From all of us at TQ, we hope you will peruse the magazine’s vast and luminous offerings. Happy autumn, and enjoy!