Poetry allows us to explore strange and new perspectives with our readers. Objects, people, and the unknown all can be transmitted through poetry. This year’s award winning poems, Samantha Bixler’s “Like Clockwork” (winner of the Academy of American Poets Prize) and Britney Buterbaugh’s “Broken Bottle,” (Best Poem as judged by the FTFS staff) take us through the strange inner world of objects. These poems both ask us to look at ourselves as strangers might. And wonder over our own lives. Surprisingly, in the atmosphere of urgency that seems to surround poets and other publications today, poets of Penn State Harrisburg having seemingly drawn into themselves. In a highly politicized time, our poets choose to talk about the personal instead of the political. But in such strange times everyone could afford to see themselves as strangers. And even with poetry that is not political the poetry of this magazine does not leave us cool and unchanged but rather the poetry of this publication will challenge the reader, even if not politically. Poetry, good poetry, should leave us hot with change and bright with new thoughts and experiences.

 

Maria Wilson was the Poetry Editor for this issue. She previously won the PSH Academy of American Poets Prize in 2016. She spent an exchange year in Germany and plans to major in Global Studies.