Watercolor

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@howdomagazine.co.uk. Jane Steele