A Letter from the Editor: The Road Goes Ever On & On

Of course I quoted The Lord of the Rings. What do you people expect from me by now?!

Dear Readers,

If you're reading this, you may have noticed we've had some work done. Now, now, don't be shy -- no need to deny it. For our first birthday, we treated ourselves to a good ole fashioned facelift. But don't worry, this isn't some 'Toddlers & Tiaras" type shit. We've learned a lot in our first year of life.

Can't you people appreciate our new, exotic cheekbones? Sheesh.

Like anyone we've fallen flat on our faces, dusted ourselves off, and then tripped over our own shoe laces. (If we're being honest, we've done this numerous times.) And like anyone, we spat out the dust and made it into something worthwhile. Speaking of dust, Picasso once said "Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." I'd argue that art also washes the dust from everyday life. There is inspiration in the ordinary, in the I-see-your-face-every-damn-dayness of the world. Life inspires art, even the dull and most un-noteworthy moments of our lives. 

This is what Floodmark has learned. That you reading this post is something so ordinary that it's extraordinary. To think that I made the decision to keep Floodmark going day by day, post by post, for 365 days and that you're sitting here absorbing that fact. Maybe you're like "yeah yeah get ON with it already, ya boob". Maybe you're like "Cool beans". But let me tell you what I'm like:

It took me 24 years of life to feel like I might be able to make a difference. And then Emily and I started Floodmark. Even if 90% of the time I was throwing pebbles of inspiration into the void of the Internet, the 10% of the time I caught someone's attention brought an exhilaration close to love. And that's why, after one year of trial and error, I am ready to present to you the new and improved face of Floodmark. 

Although the redesign may seem like the most drastic change, the fabric of Floodmark has shifted as well. We went from a two-woman show to a one-woman show to welcoming six editors with diverse, incredible voices onto the site. (If you want to know more about our new faces, check out our About Us page.) Each one of them responded to my offer, in which I told them I could offer no payment but my own boundless enthusiasm and a platform for their words, with their own enthusiasm. How lucky am I to find such people? 

And that's just the point. You have now also found these people. You're one of the lucky ones. Together, we can form the community we're always searching for in the dusty Poetry sections of bookstores, in the kinda-sorta pretentious coffee shops. We don't need bongos or turtle necks or any of the stereotypes. The modern poet defies stereotypes. The modern poet draws inspiration from the world, a world that now includes GIFs, Facebook, Smart Phones, Red Light Cameras, and Robot Vacuums. To pretend that our poetry ignores these things, sees only the graceful lines of trees and sensuality of collar bones, is a lie. 

We are a band of not-so-exclusive modern poets. We are whatever and whoever we want to be. We wash the dust from the everyday, and color outside the lines. We hope you'll do Floodmark the great honor of being the sledgehammer that breaks the dam and lets inspiration flood your mind. (And yes, this is one of those moments -- we're saying the name of the movie in the movie. Get it?) We hope that each time you write with us, share your work with us, and join our conversation, the line marking the flood gets higher. 

We're up for the challenge. How about you? 

***

Whether you're an accomplished poet, a dabbler, or simply a creative personality, Floodmark aims to provide inspiration using a variety of media, prompts, quotes, discoveries, oddities, angles, and voices. In short, we aim to open the conversation of poetry outside of academia. Our mission is to provide you with an interwoven community of inspiration and support. We encourage the beauty of claiming poetry as your own, of pushing back against the work of others to define your own boundaries, of finding life & poetry in the most unexpected places. This website was founded on the belief that poetry is an endless surprise, waiting around corner to embrace you or punch you in the neurons. Our best and brightest wish for you, reader, is that you experience both during your time here.