American Chordata: Magazine of New Writing Issue One, Spring 2015 | Page 16

I’d say that good writing has its own inflection, creates its own
contexts and raises its own questions. Questions about money,
maybe, or rules, or play; about youth, or the passage of time, and
the long-term effects of small choices. The poems and stories in
the pages that follow are good. So I won’t add new inflections by
saying too much about them. Beyond asking, at risk of sounding
saccharine, that you take a few minutes to look, to listen, to read.
Three short stories, eleven poems. Art and photography galore.
The editors of this magazine value earnest voices, bravery, and
clarity of expression. If you value that stuff, too, you’ll probably find
a lot to like in here.  

xiv • NO TE

Nobody got paid in the making of this magazine. Not the staff,
not the contributors. So I want to take a moment to thank those
contributors for their trust in choosing to publish with us. I’m
deeply grateful and honored to be able to share their work with
you here.
There’s a long list of people whose generosity and talent helped
make this first issue possible.  Adly Elewa, who spent many hours
designing it, gets a big, boldface, glittering entry on that list. So do
the friends, family members, and big-hearted strangers who helped
us spread the word and find the many stunning and often surprising submissions we received back in the autumn of 2014 when this
whole thing got started. Our sincere thanks go out to the following
people and organizations:
Abby Ronner, Alicia Wingard, Anna Ross, Artist Trust, Ashley
McHose, Banjo McLachlan, Beth Steidle, Bob Yarling, Brooklyn
Arts Council, Brooklyn Community Chorus, Bruce Smith,
Caroline Badseed, Chris Critelli, Chris Wait, Christina Thompson,
Claudia Gerbracht, Connie Brothers, David Jacobsen, Dennis
Cooper, Elena Passarello, Ellen Richmond, Ellen Shell, Erica
Osvath, Erica Wnek, Frank Driscoll, George Saunders, Joe Lops,
John Plough, Kaitlin Bible, Katherine Mavridis, Kevin Olsen,
Kimberly Todd, Kurt Wildermuth, Lambda Literary, Larry
Longhanger, Leanne Bowes, Leeann Graham, Margot Livesey,
Mark Spurlock, McNally Jackson Books, Mike Thompson, Mindy