Editor's Note

The Cortland Review
Issue 76, August 2017
Editor's Note

The Cortland Review is pleased to grace its cover with "In Praise of Schistostega," by Mira Hecht, a DC based artist, who, quoting Thomas Merton, says, "There is in all things a hidden wholeness." Her work makes a nod to Emerson, too, who wrote "Life is a self-evolving circle."

Her work, she says, is "about the mystery and radiance of life." She seeks to create work that "coaxes meaning from form and process," and her use of over-lapping and transparency hints at that which is felt but not seen. Each of her paintings reveals a "dynamic tension between stillness/motion, surface/depth and darkness/ light, hoping that the viewer will slow down." No wonder it feels so good to encounter one of her paintings. . . paintings meant to be an antidote to our fast-paced anxiety-ridden contemporary culture.

Mira, who studied art at the Corcoran College of Art and Design and American University, both in DC, and earned her MFA in painting from the San Francisco Art Institute, is represented by Addison Ripley Fine Art in Washington, DC and Page Bond Gallery in Richmond, VA. Her work has been selected for public collections such as Microsoft, Price Waterhouse Coopers and Capital One Bank. More of her art can be seen at mirahecht.com.

All of us at The Cortland Review (see below) hope to slow you down, too--by offering poetry, fiction and the literary genius of our own David Rigsbee--all another sort of "antidote to our fast-paced anxiety-ridden contemporary culture." We hope you'll grab an iced-tea (the weather map says it's hot most places these August days) and settle in for new poetry by Don Barkin, Alan Botsford, John Brehm, Lee Briccetti, Steve Coughlin, Ricky Garni, James Harms, Carlie Hoffman, A.R. Johnson, Laurinda Lind, Peter Makuck, Joshua L. Martin, Jill Moffett, George Moore, Marcus Myers, Marge Piercy, Doug Ramspeck, Barry Silesky, Marty Steyer, Ryan Vine and James Wyshynski. We're offering new fiction, too, from Allison Li and Tyler Schwanke and David Rigsbee's book review of Robert Fanning's stunning "Our Sudden Museum," also our featured book.

Don't forget to click on "Poetry Streamer" in the menu bar for an audio delight dating back almost 20 years to our inception! You never know who will pop up.

Now hear the applause for the talented and dedicated all-volunteer TCR staff (some for 16+ years), for their work bringing this journal to you. In alphabetical order, they are the wonderful