March 2007 / Editing Versal / 2 of 3

The meetings are lively, as we go round the table advocating the strengths, admonishing the poems we have been reading.

Of course it can be argued that with a group of 5 poetry editors the individual strength of a decisive single style or voice is lost. What’s lost is made up for in diversity. What is gained is a consistent effort at selecting and reading work that  distinguishes itself and holds up to discussion. Additionally we have developed a trajectory which we have followed these past years.

Our initial interest in travel writing has broadened. While we still enjoy descriptions of the dusty marrakech market, and the shawl-wearing bus driver who brought you there, our voracious vicarious wants more.

An additional strength is that we are varied in our readings and our own writing. We all write poetry ourselves. We also come from different countries. Kate Foley is from the UK, Anna Arov originally from Russia, Prue Duggan is Australian, Megan Garr is from the United States, and I started in the States, having left there years ago at the tender age of 15.

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