Reviewed by Lindsey Grudnicki
Have you ever noticed the difference between pre-holidays winter and post-holidays winter? Before the New Year, the snow, ice, wind, and cold are part of the backdrop; a scenery that merely accompanies the rich food, shopping, celebrating, and various happy gatherings until that final toast rings out the year. After January 1st, however, winter becomes Winter – a force to be reckoned with and a dominating feature of daily life for many of us. Its persistent grey skies, its heaviness on our bones, its ability to cause feelings of isolation or depression or longing, its power to drive even the hardiest soul indoors make Winter a vivid season in human memory even as it drains the countryside of its colors.
Tendril Literary Magazine’s first “Winter” issue captures this vividness as contributors explore the effects of winter on our emotions and imagination. Within this twenty-page digital volume, you’ll find an interesting mixture of traditional winter-themed work (there’s a delightful poem all about different artists’ representation of snow) and some surprising pieces of writing that were no doubt inspired by hours of reflection mandated by the cold and molded by the claustrophobia – or perhaps the comfort – of sunless rooms. “Whether you are looking for winter to last or if you are ready for the premature signs of spring,” writes Tendril’s Editor-in-Chief Vivienne Gale, this collection of poetry and prose has something for your state of mind.
Among the poetry featured in this issue are two wonderful works by women writers. In “The French,” Sherry Steiner gives a sketch of a lover left alone and the conflicting sensations of hurt and freedom that accompany the return of solitude. Using just five lines to draw the scene, Steiner then retells the tale in French. Even if French is beyond your comprehension, the beauty of the words themselves offer a new tone to the work. Following Steiner’s poem is Lara Dolphin’s “After Reading Faust,” which brings readers to the crossroads of imagination and reality. Dolphin’s speaker suspects she sees the devil in an unlikely candidate and the poem cleverly unfolds the course of their encounter.
This edition of Tendril also presents beautiful photography from Virginia Mallon. The snow-covered woods of “January” represent the traditional winter scene fitting to some of the written work it accompanies while her shot of light reflecting off of a patch of fog – or perhaps the photographer’s own breath –that partially covers the tree branches and skyscape in “behind, the stars” intriguingly captures the distorted, layered vision that winter can produce in art.
With three issues now under its belt, Tendril – which publishes with the seasons – has begun to establish itself as forum for high-quality writing that bravely experiments with theme and style. The works it features say much with few words and are thoroughly enjoyable to read. So if Winter has become a force in your life – as it has been for myself and those in the Midwest this week – why not immerse yourself in a collection that tackles the force, both directly and subtly, and pulls inspiration from the fight?
You can check out Tendril’s “Winter” issue here: http://www.magcloud.com/webviewer/683606?__r=345575&s=w.
Learn more about Tendril here: http://tendrilmag.tumblr.com/about
