Editor’s Quarter Note

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Dear Reader,

This is the final issue of the first year of Quarter Notes! When I think back to a year ago, I remember texting friends to share the idea of a lit mag with a musical ear and sending out hopeful solicitations for what would become the inaugural issue. I’m blown away by the amount of work I’ve had the opportunity to engage with and share since then through this humble corner of the internet. Thank you for joining the party by reading, sharing, and submitting work. It feels more vital than ever to commune creatively in independent spaces.

This spring I’ll be taking (what I simply must call) a “quarter rest” before working on what will be the first issue of our second cycle this summer. Submissions are always open and rolling, so if you have work you’d like to submit, send it over anytime.

The vision for Quarter Notes was to create a space for and between good listeners, and it’s reverberated beyond my wildest dreams. This Winter issue is our longest yet, perfect for hunkering down on a cold day. It includes inventive poems from Crozier Lathrop, Alison Kaiser, Evan Minkser, and Michelle Dove; a personal essay about the music of Bruce Springsteen by Corinne Cordasco-Pak; a reading response to Bodies of Sound: Becoming a Feminist Ear by folklorist Emily Hilliard; our first ever short story (!) from Dan Davis; and an interview with the legendary rock n’ roll poet Thax Douglas. Many thanks to him and to all of these beautiful contributors for sharing their work.

Wishing you a cozy last couple of weeks of winter and a hopeful spring.

Keep listening!

Lou Turner, editor

PS: If you like what we’re doing here, consider donating a tip to help with the cost of maintaining the site for another year. You can also subscribe to the site on the About page, which is a very low-key commitment. I’ll just send you an email when we have a new issue to share.

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