Issue
#1

January
2009

Notes from the Editor

Welcome to the inaugural issue of Gutter Eloquence Magazine! First off,
I'd like to thank all of the contributors. There's undeniably a bit of risk in
submitting work to a new zine, because you don't really know exactly
what the editors want. Also, you don't know what the quality of the zine
will be--will it be a good showcase for your work? It's my intention and
hope that no one is disappointed. On the other hand, I realize that one
magazine can't be all things to all people. So, I made my best effort, and
the feedback of contributors and other readers will let me know if I'm on
the right track or not...theoretically.

I realize that the number of poets and poems in this issue might be some-
what overwhelming, but I wanted the first issue to be extra special. Future
issues will likely have a much smaller number of poets/poems per issue,
which means that the selection process will be tougher. It also means
that submitting your best, most ass-kicking writing is imperative.

Submissions for issue #2 of G.E.M. will be open as of January 5th. Please
note that we no longer accept previously published work. I struggled with
this, because I know that it may be an unpopular decision. But I prefer to
publish fresh writing, and also want to avoid submissions with an entire
group of poems that are all previously published (like some that graced
my inbox in the last couple of months).

I may make an occasional exception for poetry solicited by a personal
invitation. But that's likely to be a rare event, if it happens at all.

Deadline for issue #2 submissions is February 10th. In the meanwhile,
happy reading, and Happy New Year!

--Editor Jack