A few things about this process are, and I suspect will continue to be, weird.
First, I didn’t realize that so many people would come out of the woodwork to support a new, unproven publication. I put a lot of faith in the idea of literary citizenship, but I never knew it could be quite what it has turned out to be. From local artists to far-off writers I know only through Twitter, everyone is here. Folks I’ve known for a while and folks I’ve never known until they sent us something amazing, they sent in terrific work. Everyone is (I feel) rooting for us, and that’s lovely.
I also didn’t expect the quality of work we received, or as much of it. There is an apprehension that I shared with some about exactly what we might expect with the first call for submissions, but it was unfounded. People sent amazing work, we had no trouble making this enormous first issue, and that’s magnificent. From stories about losing loved ones to poems about saving oneself, our staff was consistently amazed by what came through. In just a short time we ramped up to the feeling, at least to me, of a full-fledged effort. It’s weird to me that it worked so well, right from the gate.
The thing about any first issue, of course, is that there are more than likely mistakes, and there are too many people to thank (but I’ll try to address at least one of those right now). The readers and editors I managed to work alongside are, without a doubt, fully responsible for the success of this first issue. They were tireless and upbeat, and a pleasure to work with. They gave me authority when I was too timid to ask for it, and a quick kick in the pants when I tried to slack off. Honestly, if you want to get anywhere with a publication, surround yourself with great people.
I hope you enjoy this issue, and I hope you’re willing to let us know what you think. I hope you find the gems we did, and that you share it far and wide so we can gain an audience. Thanks for reading, thanks to the contributors for sharing, and thanks for the warm welcome.
-Matthew Kabik
editor in chief
Third Point Press
Art by Jenny Germann, On a Boat