Welcome, dears, to this month’s section.
I can barely contain myself when I say:
welcome to Brontëworld, as done by
HowDo?! You will find an interview with Ann
Dinsdale, Collections Manager at Haworth
Parsonage. There is also a poetical triptych
by Gwen Greenwood, whose submission
was very timely. In itself, it illustrates how
relevant and inspiring the Brontës still are. In
addition, there are poems from the fiercely
uncompromising Emily Brontë herself in both
handwritten and typed form, the latter so
that the gloriously wild images can be easily
read, the better to leap off the page and into
the heart.
Our March theme is DIY and grassroots
culture. You may be aware that as children
the Brontës effectively made their own
‘zines – tiny, handwritten books made in
immaculate detail, in which they chronicled
their imaginary worlds. When I think of the
theme in relation to my pages, immediately
the famous quote from the punk fanzine
‘Sideburns’ springs to mind. Someone drew
three chords and then wrote: “This is a
chord, this is another, this is a third. Now
form a band”. Except that applicable here
would be, “This is a word, this is a second,
this is a third. That’s a poem. Now write
another”.
Something else comes up, too, in relation to
the whole issue of DIY: the precariousness,
or outright collapse, of what were previously
considered safe but boring options: jobs,
mortgages, salaries. This time, society’s
tectonic plates appear to have shifted in a
way deeper than just economic boom and
bust. Hellish and disorientating it doubtless
is for millions, and that is awful beyond
measure. But, on another level, could these
events be a worn-out seed case cracking
open and falling to pieces, in order for a
beautiful lotus flower of something different
to emerge? Poison into medicine. Base metal
into gold. It can be done and, what’s more, it
can be done by you, in your own unique way.
Thank you to all those who have taken the
time and trouble to submit pieces. Anyone
can submit a poem, prose piece or short
story (around 1000-1500 words) to
.
Jane Steele
