Issue Seven: Will-o'-the-Wisp & A Letter from the Editor

Dearest readers,

It is the end of December and as always, we are on the cusp of something. The new year is about to clear the air and we need something to steer us away and knock us off kilter for a little bit. Something with too many teeth and a cyclone grin.

This is Will-o’-the-Wisp: our issue of friendly fire.

This issue is all about the transitory and the tightrope walk. There are a couple of mischievous sprites lurking at the corners of this issue waiting to reach out and grab you. We cannot promise you that it will lead you to safety, but we think you will enjoy the journey.

We would like to thank our eight contributors for their glorious words and art. We hope that you enjoy this issue and thank you for your continued support in helping to make all of this possible.

Marilyn Schotland
Poetry Editor

Call for Submissions: Issue Seven - Will-o'-the'Wisp

Dearest readers,

Today is the Autumnal Equinox and the Midwestern weather is finally bringing in the barest whisper of a cold front. Meanwhile, your editors have been gallivanting amongst books and trees, putting our heads down, and studying for exams. We’ve also been putting all the pieces together for our next issue!

Without much ado, we present the theme for issue seven: Will-o’-the-Wisp. 

What is Will-o’-the-Wisp? In its oldest form, it is a bit of friendly fire that appears over bogs and swamps and leads unwary travelers down a sinister path. It is Baba Yaga waiting in her hut on chicken legs or the dance of the Wilis in Giselle. It is myth, magic, and melancholia, but it is also jamming out to Monster Mash in your bedroom at 2 AM. 

If this issue was a sentence from a novel, it would be: “a wisp of silk in a forest of black wool.”

If this issue was a painting, it would be Morgan-le-fay by Frederick Sandys (1964-65).

If this issue was a constellation, it would be Auriga.

If this issue was a piece of music, it would be Bach’s Partita for Violin Solo No. 2 - Chaconne.

We want your hobgoblins, hinkypunks, sprites, pixies, and trolls! Send us your feverish writings that wink in the dark; your wild midnight rides and your conversations with deep waters.

Submissions of writing and art are open until October 19th. Check out our submissions page for more guidelines on what we are looking for, or feel free to shoot us an email at bombuspress@gmail.com. As always, we seek to support and publish the works of diverse creators.

We can’t wait to read your submissions!

-The Editors