editorial

Happy New(ish) Year! Looking back to the editorial I wrote this time last year, I referred to ‘the ongoing drama of Trump’s administration, and the omnishambles that is Brexit.’Plus ça change, eh? As in 2019, I have no fix for our political woes, but can offer you worthy distraction in the first Interpreter’s House of 2020, issue #73. It is a corker and we’re thrilled once again to be showcasing thought-provoking, high quality writing. From contact lenses to the solar system and IKEA to the Udal peninsula, we have poems and stories exploring a cornucopia of themes. 

For the first time in our online incarnation, we’re featuring some returning contributors. Fiona Cartwright, who was published in issue #70, Sue Finch, and Ely Percy, both of whom were in issue #69, all have new work in the current issue. If you enjoy their writing in issue #73– you will! – but missed their contributions to earlier issues, you can click through from their bios to trace back to their previous work.  

As you may know, Louise Peterkin has been guest poetry editor alongside me for #issue 73. She’s done a cracking job and I’m delighted to announce that she’ll be staying on. So for issue #74, it’ll be Louise and me reading for poetry and Annie reading for fiction. To the writers out there, do send in your best poems and stories to keep us busy. The reading window is open throughout February.* Check our submissions page for guidelines – submissions that follow the guidelines are easier to process, which make for a happier, less frazzled editorial team. 

In other House news, we’ll be doing a call for essays in March. If you’ve got any unpublished pieces about contemporary poetry or fiction, dust them down and consider whether you might want to send them in. However, don’t send them in yet: watch the site and our Twitter feed for more details in the weeks to come.

Most importantly, before you do any of that, sit down and kick back with issue #73. It’ll be time well spent and you’ll find treasures in there. I promise. 

Georgi 

*Please don’t submit when the reading window is closed (i.e. at times other than February, June or October). As I tried to explain on Twitter recently, if you lob something at a shut window, it bounces off the glass and will not be read!