PEORIA -- A new literary magazine debuted June 6 with a celebration at the cozy, independent Peoria Heights bookstore I Know You Like A Book.
The 44-page magazine called Bluffs contains mostly poetry with one short story and one essay that reads like a short story. It's a classy publication, with art, put together by Danielle Hatch, a Peoria Journal Star journalist with a degree in creative writing, and Jim Sullivan, who teaches English at Illinois Central College.
It features 15 central Illinois writers, and includes two poems by Kevin Stein of Bradley University, poet laureate of Illinois.
The bookstore event included not only selected readings from Bluffs, but interesting discussion. When someone asked, "What makes a good poem?" the answers were evocative.
"Poems hit an emotional sweet spot with a reader."
"Word play."
"Something surprising that I have never seen before."
My take: Like a good piece of journalism, a good poem slaps you in the face. You remember the phrases, and may see them oft repeated.
Poetry is sometimes ignored in today's fast paced world. That's a mistake. Every song, almost every book title,and even many ads contain poetic phrases that will be recognized and recalled by an educated person. Poets change our perceptions and our memories of history. They are worth reading and cherishing.
Bluffs costs only $5, and can be contacted via Facebook or at [email protected].
- Elaine Hopkins
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