Introduction by John Amen

Introduction by John Amen About 20 years ago, while living in New Orleans, I read Stan Rice’s poetry. A few months after first reading those poems, I met Stan and immediately considered how I’d like to launch a literary magazine and publish some of his work. About 2 years later, at this point living in […]

Introduction by Susan Terris

Introduction by Susan Terris Sometimes a working committee produces the equivalent of a wildebeest, something ungainly and the result of too many shortcuts or hasty compromises. Over the past 6 years, Arlene Ang, Michael Spring, our editor-publisher John Amen, and I have learned to work together and manage to produce an issue of Pedestal, which […]

Introduction by Michael Spring

Introduction by Michael Spring Another incredible experience working with John, Arlene, and Susan. I like how they each bring new light to selecting poems. It astonishes me how many poems all four of us agree on, especially during the first round of deliberations. My favorite part of our process is when we debate the nominated […]

Introduction by Arlene Ang

Introduction by Arlene Ang To steal from Jeffrey Little’s poem, the 17th-anniversary issue of Pedestal, “when it arrives, is worldly.” The eclectic mix of 18 poets and poems we’ve selected makes me think of how the writing world has grown smaller and at the same time more extensive since 2000. It’s an honor and pleasure […]

Bonnie Wai-Lee Kwong – self portrait in vivo

                                        self portrait in vivo                                     grass                                         spills                                       into sunlight                                                                       the innermost                                                                 tongue                                                             of an orchid            splays in                         wild        repose                                                                                      water                                                                                             opens to light                                                                                what to reflect                                                                                         what to let pass                                                                      if you don’t                                                                             see                                                                      this rainbow                                                   come around                             look                                                                        from                                      the angle                                   of my eyes                                                              if                                           you                                               approach                                                               me                                                      like sunlight                                                                                  I could be […]