editorial

Welcome to Issue 81. 

The six months between issue 80 and now have felt long and arduous – health issues and pressures of work have all combined to steal time and energy, but issue 81 makes it all seem worthwhile, so very worthwhile. In 81, you’ll find excellent poems and stories from a range of supremely talented contributors. I’d like to offer them all my sincere thanks for being so professional, good natured and kind-hearted in all our dealings, even when I’ve been delayed and slow to respond to questions and requests.

Our new Featured Poet item in issue 80 was well received so we have decided to continue with it; this issue we focus on four short poems by Lydia Harris. They are tender, beautiful works which explore landscape and our relation to it and each other. Lydia’s well-chosen words about her poems add a further layer of context to her work, making for a fascinating, life enhancing read.

Speaking of which, we are also continuing to showcase contributors’ comments at the bottom of their pages on the site. These garnered very positive feedback, particularly from those of our readers who are also poets. The contributor comments are not our version of Cliff Notes – they do not seek to explain the poems and stories. Rather they give an insight into the motivations for writing or the stylistic choices that contributed to the piece.

So, I’m here presenting you with a bumper issue and yet I feel anxious.
Why?
In a couple of months, our website plan is up for renewal, which means a bill, which means me scrabbling around the back of the sofa for any spare cash I can rustle up. I fervently believe that money should not be a barrier to creating or engaging with good writing; and so we are free to submit to and free to read. The Interpreter’s House is funded by reader donations, for which I am extremely grateful. But there isn’t as much money in most people’s pockets these days, and in the wake of a large number of literary magazines folding, I am nervous. Currently I have less than 20% of the next year’s costs in the bank. If we can’t raise the remainder, I do not think I will be able to cover it myself.

So, please donate if you can and help us to keep publishing fantastic writers whose work deserves an audience. No matter how small your donation, it could make a big difference. In the past 30 days, The Interpreter’s House has had over 1,500 unique visitors, and that’s before there is a new issue available. If half of those 1,500 unique visitors were able to donate £1 each, well, blimey. I’d be able to secure the future of the House for almost the next five years.

That would be wonderful. Really. Amazing. But I’m not greedy. Right now I’d be very happy just to keep us going until summer 2025. So, if you want to help and can help, please do. Louise, Lizzie and I will be extremely grateful for your support. And if you’re not currently in a position to donate, we understand. Please revel in the goodness of issue 81 all the same.  

Happy reading!

Georgi