Editor’s note—
Somehow we’ve seen out the year, and completed the first volume (2012-2013) of quarterly issues; from Winter to Autumn. So it goes.
Minarets has expanded from a small poetry booklet of 10 contributors, to issues bordering on 100 pages, adding elements of visual and macro poetry, as well as essays. Through a number of successful reading and launch events, we’ve become acquainted with great artists who are excited about what Minarets can provide for the poetry community, particularly in Auckland.
It’s a real privilege to serve that community, and we’re happy to say that each successive release and activity feels like an improvement in our editorial vision and capabilities—not at all to undermine the work in foundational issues that invented our reputation to begin with.
Special thanks are required for photographer Chris Corson-Scott who designed the complete suite of issue covers for this volume, including our now-distinctive typographic rendering of “min-a-rets”—which we have been told never to change.
This Autumn issue comes from the strongest submission pool to date, for both solicited and unsolicited work, and we were forced to turn away some inspiring poetry from final short lists. Seeing also, in our opinion, some of New Zealand’s best poets submitting again and again instils us with confidence that this is a worthwhile project.
As such, some familiar names return, as well as new friends that we hope to keep. The tradition of showcasing international writers, whose work might not otherwise reach New Zealand, continues with James Ganas and his well-known macro poetry, and an essay from Michael Hessel-Mial, investigating what information—poetic or otherwise—can mean for our actions in the world.
Much of this issue was produced with one of the editors travelling in Canada and the USA. The difficulty of distance and funding has prompted the decision to move Minarets onto a twice-yearly schedule, to allow for the best possible production.
The next issue will be Spring 2013, and will be the first printed in a larger format.
At the time of writing, the team is planning a reading event in association with National Poetry Day on August 16th. From there, we look forward to Volume Two / 2013-2014.
Chris Holdaway
Lauren Strain
June 2013
Chris Holdaway is a poet & editor from Auckland, New Zealand. He is the author of HIGH-TENSION/FASHION (Greying Ghost, 2017), & directs Compound Press. He received his MFA in poetry from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.
