Celebrating Artistic Diversity and Freedom

Writing this intro on America’s 250^th birthday, I wanted to be celebratory and appreciative but found myself wondering what I could write during this disheartening period of shrinking freedoms, banned books, and whitewashed histories. But then I recalled a lunch years ago with a group of Minnesota writers hosting poet (and future poet laureate) Maxine Kumin. She told us about a rejection letter from when she began sending out poems in the 1950s. Nothing odd about a rejection. But the editor went on to explain that he would like to publish her work, but he couldn’t. Why–because they had already published a woman writer the previous issue.

Such a situation would be laughable today—even in our current political climate. Kumin’s experience stands as a reminder of the legitimate progress toward equality and opportunity that America has, over time, developed. We’re not on a linear, ever upward path—and never have been–but whether through activism and voting or simply welcoming diverse members to a physical or literary community, we are moving toward and expanding on the original ideals of this country.

Even a small literary magazine such as Boomerlitmag is an example of this progress. We have published writers from teens to 94 years old, those with distinguished publishing records and those new to publishing, women, men, and authors from many religions, races, sexual identities, nations, and philosophies. This is not to boast–but the opposite. BoomerLitMag is part of an artistic culture where this diversity and openness to authors is expected, a situation radically unlike Kumin’s early experience.

So in this 250^th year of the Declaration of Independence, let’s stand up to those (right, left, or center) who want to shut down diverse voices, facts, and democracy itself. But remembering where we’ve come from and how far we’ve come in all spheres of life is also vital–including who is now taught to read, who gets to write and to share their writing, and what views can be shared. In fact, recognizing our history creates encouragement as we see that change is possible and that persistence and resistance matter.

Call for Poetry Readers

Go here for information if you’d like to apply to become an editorial first reader of poetry for BoomerLitMag. 

In This Issue

In this issue we bring you some powerful fiction. We don’t typically accept political satire but Nathaniel Krenkel’s The Lobby is excellent storytelling about a couple’s trip to see their children, as well as an unsettling and detailed sendup of red and blue political culture. Mike Murray’s The Scrap is a gritty, dark piece about courage and compassion, regret and loyalties. There’s also a creative non-fiction memoir about a father’s long walk home from a forced labor camp after WWII and his son’s response today.

As always, there are also wonderful poems—about Ireland, about boyhood betrayal, and about the intense passion for books when they are not easily available.  

Jump in wherever you’d like and share with whomever might appreciate.

Be well, stay strong, help each other.

Leonard Lang, Editor