Issue #23 Spring 2022
|
Dear Readers,
Welcome to Issue 23 of Jet Fuel Review! This spring, our editorial team combed their way through nearly 800 submissions in an effort to provide you with a collection of writing and artwork that is outstanding and thought-provoking. These works were carefully selected over the last few months, and represent our mission statement of publishing remarkable and diverse work that highlights the human condition and the world around us. Housed at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois, Jet Fuel Review is a student-run, faculty-advised, nationally recognized literary journal that publishes writers and artists from across the globe. Founded in 2011, Jet Fuel Review continues to expand, spotlighting writers and artists who unapologetically challenge, play with, and subvert, the artistic canon. This semester, our journal received the designation of “Excellent” by the NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) for excellence in the Art and Literary Magazine program. Additionally, we received the College Media Association’s (CMA) Pinnacle Award for “Literary Magazine of the Year” Award at a four-year institution for two consecutive years, 2019 and 2020. And, in 2021, we were honored to be recognized again, receiving 2nd place. As a journal, we are incredibly honored to have received this recognition and are motivated to continue to do work that enlightens and enriches our community. For this issue, our cover art, titled Terrarium with Heart of Amateur Mycologist comes from writer, professor, and collagist Karyna McGlynn. This piece shows the intertwining of both the theatrical costuming and technicolor quality of nature. The lush thicket of greenery is juxtaposed by the “campy” addition of striking, bright red fungi, placed thoughtfully atop the woman’s umbrella. This piece reflects McGlynn’s ability to stitch elements of collage in a self-described “playful” and “provocative” way. For our poetry section, we feature the 2021 Lauria/Frasca Poetry Prize winner Angie Macri. In addition to the pieces from our cover artist Karyna McGlynn, we also showcase the dazzling artwork of Andrea Kowch, whose art uses a variety of inspirations and techniques. Our fiction section for this issue includes a tender piece from Melissa Boberg, “Years Without Tuesdays,” which calls attention to the concepts of complicated familial relationships and memory. Boberg keeps the reader engaged through her use of metaphor and parentheticals, as we begin to unfold the relationship between the narrator and her father. Srinaath Perangur is the author of “Brown, By Apparition,” a nonfiction piece that addresses the serpentine “tangle” of post-colonialism and identity in a unique format. The complexities of the body, violence, and interconnected literary theory entice readers to absorb the intricate density of Perangur’s writing. So many more captivating pieces can be found within Issue 23 of Jet Fuel Review. The works reveal multifaceted symbolism that challenges both the mind and heart, and are a testament to the hard work of the creative minds included. They will resonate with readers from all backgrounds, and capture the attention of those looking to explore the complexity of the human experience, as told from the perspective of writers and artists from around the world. We hope you enjoy the sophisticated and brilliant work that makes up this issue. Read on! Cassidy Fontaine-Warunek and the Jet Fuel Review Editors |