REALITIES & THE RITUALS OF THE UPSIDE DOWN

Hello from Athens,

My name is Dimitra and I am the editor of the journal A) GLIMPSE) OF). We are online, but we love ink!

Lately, I’ve been hearing the word “zophos” which means “darkness; obscurity; melancholia; the dark side of the horizon.” A very strong Greek word to describe social malaise. Now, whether we live in Athens, Boston, Bucharest, or Glasgow, we share similar conditions and needs. How are we equipping ourselves for reality? Where do we imagine ourselves less vulnerable? How will we shape new ground upon which we can imagine and thrive? How will we claim space for tenderness, empathy, awareness, humor and beauty?

For the Realities and the Rituals of the Upside Down issue, we invited 27 international poets, artists, & a scientist to reflect on today’s realities. Realities and the Rituals of the Upside Down features:

• poetry by Jay Besemer, Theodoros Chiotis, Maria Damon, Helen Dimos, Universal Jenny, Donna Fleischer, Clive Gresswell, Ray McKenzie, C. Kubasta, Iulia Militaru, John Morgan, Alice Notley, Christina Ntanovasili, Nat Raha, Sandra Simonds, Tom Snarsky, and Alan Sondheim

• artworks by Antonis Donef, Lito Kattou and Anna Lascari

• a conversation with the poet CAConrad

• critical ideas by the environmental scientist Giorgos Kallis

• Narratives in Progress by Amy McCauley (on consolatory art), by Eva Moreda (on translation) and Rebecca Wilcox (on affective sound)

• columns by Louisa Doloksa (on literature and bowels), Kyriaki Goni (on urban rituals) and D.I. (Hot Athens).

We put together an inspiring issue. It’s cover is dedicated to the color yellow, a color that reminds and encourages. This is a limited edition (17X24 cm, 80 pages) in English; some works will be translated into Greek and uploaded on the site. Realities and the Rituals of the Upside Down has a front and back cover detail from an original work by Lito Kattou.

My heartfelt thanks to all contributors for their commitment and trust in the edition, to those who pre-ordered the issue and those who contributed to the crowdfunding campaign: Eleftheria Alavanou, Anonymous, Anne Boyer, Joseph Gerace, Dimitris Ioannou, Alkyone Karamanolis, Kika Kyriakakou, Evangelos Kyriakos, Mira Mattar, Anna Moschovakis, Yasmina Reggad, Anna Varoufaki.

Editor: Dimitra Ioannou, Design: Marianna Vouza, Assistant editor: Dora Vasilakou, Editor-at-large: Antonis Katsouris.

You may purchase Realities and the Rituals of the Upside Down at Perdu in Amsterdam, Good Press Gallery in Glasgow, Berl’s Brooklyn Poetry Shop and Grolier poetry bookstore in NYC, and Little Tree Bookshop & Coffee in Athens. There is one copy available on the selves of the National Poetry Library in London, and another one at Aeromoto, a non-for-profit library specialized in artist books, independent publishing, and contemporary culture in Mexico City.

Dimitra Ioannou