Online Literary Magazine

I really enjoyed reading poetry on the online magazine of literary arts, 42opus. The poems seemed very musical to me and most ended with the reader feeling enlightened, or quizzical about the world. The poems all seem to be working in a way to challenge the readers thinking and open your mind to exploring new ideas. This is stated in the editorial statement as, “writing that moves and delights our minds and hearts.” On a publishing standpoint, 42opus describes their website as a, “clean, pretty website.” This makes a difference for the reader, I think, almost as much as the types of poems presented. Being able to easily navigate and read a neat website allows the reader to see more work and therefore enjoy more. This is something online magazines should not overlook.

Similarly the online magazine, Diode, creates a clean, neat website that is easy to navigate and read and therefore as a reader I am inclined to read and enjoy it more. I enjoyed Diode because it seemed to value poetry that creates small scenes in great detail. Something I enjoy very much. Like in Silence, a definition by Bob Hicok

This woman who loves me,
who has memorized the birthmark of my face,
who invited my sperm
to become a sea monster in her fathoms,
she never said my name, and I never hers,
like why would a horse call another horse
            horse
when it can lean a neck to its side,
such a thorough alphabet in the rain
that the ground knows exactly
what's being said, and replies
slowly, replies green, with shade