Posted on: April 19, 2009 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

I am not the biggest fan of poetry, but there are a few poetry-specific or focused zines that pique my interest. One of these magazines are Literal Chaos, which was sent to me some months back. For those that are tricky about their vocabulary, Literal Chaos denotes two different things – chaos itself (Truly) and the shores/beaches (or other things pertaining to water). Literal Chaos deals with both of these meanings, putting forth a number of poems with the key defining characteristic being some form of the wet stuff. The authors here are all up and coming, and are primarily focused in and around the St. Louis area.

While there are poems that seem to follow a specific tone to a fault, the vast majority of pieces present in Literal Chaos will please both poetry buffs and lay people alike. The second half of Literal Chaos really seems to be the jumping-off point for the issue; Mister Ben’s “Wetter Tales” is a delight, linking together hand-written text and a stream of consciousness style into one of the magazine’s strongest pieces. “Mississippi”, a piece by Lisa Ebert, is a solid bit of prose that showcases Ebert’s storytelling skill, while Sarah G. King’s “Humidity in the Lake” is a short but powerful poem about sexual assault, blending together both specific and oblique mentions of the event. I am unsure if the magazine completed any other issues, but the quality of the poetry here should make a purchase necessary if one finds themselves a fan of poetry generally.

Rating: 8.0/10

Literal Chaos #1 / $7.00 / 28M / http://www.literalchaos.com

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