This year’s edition of Mistake House Magazine asks the reader, during a time when society attempts, somewhat forcefully, to return to “normal,” to take a moment to experience the world around them and consider what can be changed. With one of the largest poetry collections in the magazine’s history, a range of subjects and approaches in fiction pieces (one of which integrates illustration), a more developed photography collection for this new feature, and an especially thought-provoking Soap Bubble Set feature, Issue Eight displays the continued growth of a successful student-run literary publication.
This issue is informed by thoughtful appreciation. Every writer and photographer whose work was accepted for publication is aware of the world’s problems, from climate change, gun control, bigotry, sickness, to violence. But they are not afraid to notice and appreciate the beauty of what is immediate to them, whether that beauty is found in a spider, childhood memories, picking fruit, beetles, an old dog, the trees, other people, or themselves. Intelligently and compassionately, they recognize both the world’s problems and its beauty.
In each issue, our Soap Bubble Set features two professionals–a practicing visual artist and a writer whose work is highlighted alongside the magazine’s selection of student poetry, fiction, and photography. This year’s Soap Bubble Set professionals are Benjamin Garcia and Samira Yamin. Each is a thoughtful and experimental artist in their respective crafts. Garcia’s work in the feature is from his recently published collection, Thrown in the Throat, which inventively uses language to fearlessly engage with subjects of individuality, queerness, family, immigration, and culture. Yamin’s visually stunning work challenges media representation of the Middle East, bringing new light to how we view photojournalism and representation. These two voices ask that we should carefully listen.
This is the second year that Mistake House Magazine has awarded Editor’s Prizes to a piece from each submission category. These prizes are meant to recognize and appreciate the most outstanding student work we receive. This year, the prize winner for fiction is Jade Sperr’s “Thunder and Silence,” a descriptive story that recognizes the power of nature and places the reader with the narrator in their own powerlessness. Jocelyn Flores’ “11 Hour Protection” uses fragmentation, abstraction, and color distortion to turn an everyday bodily object into a subject of contemplation. Lastly, Sophia Alise’s “Honeyed” is an emotionally rich poem that melts the reader with an elegant description of intimacy and connection. With this poem the reader, alongside the narrator, comes undone.
Mistake House Magazine, Issue 8 contains an expansive range of work that will take the reader through each writer’s and artist’s thoughtful and compassionate attempt to navigate this complex world. This issue provides a home not only to the featured writers and photographers but to the readers as well. Take the time to delve into this compelling issue, experience what Kurt Vonnegut would call a “Buddhist cat nap:” the spaciousness and inner calm of reading outside of one’s own ruminations and insecurities.
Our editorial staff invites you to enjoy the beautiful, complex, and relevant work in Mistake House Magazine, Issue 8!
Ethan Capp
Editor in Chief
