About Here

Here: a poetry journal was founded in 2017 by Dr. Daniel Donaghy, Professor of English at Eastern Connecticut State University, who is the author of three full-length collections of poetry: Somerset (NYQ Books, 2018), Start with the Trouble (U of Arkansas Press, 2009), and Streetfighting (BkMk 2005).

Here seeks to present in each annual issue diverse, wide-ranging, and powerful responses in poetry to the essential and endless questions related to "being here" that are implied by the journal's title. What does it mean to be here, truly, or to have been here, back from "there," against whatever odds and forces? The journal is open to work written in all forms and encourages those writing from the margins, whatever those may be, to submit their work.

Along with the questions the title raises, we hope, too, that a generosity of spirit emanates from the journal and the poems within it. Here, the title says to you, take this. May it be a good companion for you over a cup of coffee or two, on a road trip, and perhaps far beyond that.

Also embedded in the title is, too, a tone a confrontation, or at least a challenge: Here, it says to you, deal with me. Our goal as editors is to bring you, in each issue, a collection of necessary voices bearing witness to what it means to be alive in that moment. We're interested in how you find art within the day-to-day struggle of living. Overtly political poems are not what we're looking for.

The cover photo of our first issue, taken by an outstanding photographer and Eastern Connecticut State University student named Deirdre Volk, offers us a mysterious, jolting image that suggests a new definition for how to recognize poetry: A good poem, one that really changes you, that you need in your life going forward, is, indeed, a big ol' bite to the face.

We hope that you enjoy the perspectives that Here has to offer and will commit to watching it grow in the years ahead in ways that we can't even foresee.

Check back often to visit our growing "Online Features," which will include exclusive interviews with and videos of Here authors.

We accept submissions from October 1 to November 30. See more details about that in the tab on the left.

Drop us a line: herepoetryjournal@easternct.edu. We'd love to hear from you.

Daniel Donaghy, Editor

October 1, 2020