spoKe 11

The mission of spoKe is to advance a better vision of the world through poetry and poetics. Founded in response to the Boston Marathon bombing, we are strong to advance:

1. A global poetry that engages with or is from the world's places, cultures and literary traditions: past, present, and visions of futures.
2. American poetry that sees the English language and literary tradition as core but one of many roots and paths for poetry.
3. A poetics that attempts to innovate language, idiom, sensibility, and poetic form while maintaining a public presence.

In the tradition of one of Boston's greatest magazines, Cid Corman's Origin, we go deeply into a few poets, regions, and cultures in each issue. In spoKe 11 we finally pay homage to Cid Corman himself with essays, letters and reflections that introduce and go deeper into the most unsung but influential Boston-bred poet of the 20th century. We also pay tribute to poet, editor and gay activist Ron Schreiber in a feature guest-edited by Mark Pawlak. We are proud to exhibit the poetry of Mairéad Byrne, Lee Bartlett, Olena Jennings, Patrick Sylvain, and others. spoKe 11 has an incredible group of prose features, notably Peter Valente on Melville and his translations of Pliny's letters, Jennifer Bartlett, Lee Bartlett on McClure and the sixth gallery reading, Michael Londra on Ben Mazer's Delmore Schwartz.

Not letting up.

-Kevin Gallagher and Karina van Berkum