03
Foreword
Welcome to the first issue of Silver Streams.
When the idea for this journal initially began flickering in my brain, the first question I asked myself was: does something like it already exist? As someone who has read and been fortunate enough to write for many literary journals I know how many quality publications are already in circulation–not least in Ireland. And if one searches hard enough on an international scale, there are also journals which deal exclusively with either Modernist or Post-Modernist literature. However, try as I may, I could not find the type of journal that I was looking for: one which blended poetry and prose with artwork and academic papers.
In every genre of writing it is of course the literature itself which takes centre stage but as many movements are also cultural and philosophical, we need to see as well as read in order to perceive the genre in full technicolour. Academic papers also allow us to discuss a genres depth while being open and critical in our thinking. Silver Streams exists for this reason. It fuses literature, art and academia under the banner of one title. It is a celebration of the golden era of Modernism and Post-Modernism and a gentle reminder that neither genre has ever left us at all.
- Michael McGrath
Modernism: A style or movement in the arts that aims to depart significantly from classical and traditional forms.
Post-Modernism: A late 20th-century style and concept in the arts, architecture, and criticism, which represents a departure from modernism and is characterized by the self-conscious use of earlier styles and conventions, a mixing of different artistic styles and media, and a general distrust of theories.