I usually wear my heart on my sleeve. When I don’t, my words end up seeming like they are being held captive by my emotions. So, in the spirit of beloved Tess Liem’s introductory post, “The most sentimental Managing Editor introduction” I will now openly delight in expressing how honoured I am to be carte blanche‘s new Poetry Editor, starting with this fall’s “Borders” issue.
Having entered the professional writing community slightly later in life, outside of an academic environment, and in a province that still felt new to me, I would have felt adrift if it wasn’t for Montreal’s literary scene. The sheer number of cultural events happening at any given time makes it nearly impossible not to engage with, and therefore, finding a community doesn’t become an insurmountable task. There are always going to be gentle people out there who want to read and elevate your work, and whose work you can read and elevate.
The combined talents of carte blanche’s masthead, to me, showcase the sense of interconnectedness built into the magazine’s culture. These are involved and caring artists, writers, and editors you’re just as likely to see at a manifestation as you are at a book launch. Getting to be a part of their team is a supreme joy, and I will work hard to live up to the high standard they all set. I’m here to devour you poems, immerse myself in their universes, then present them to the world so that everyone else can live in them too. Your art is important, to me, and to carte blanche.
I look forward to working with all of you, and I hope you’ll reach out and say hi to this first time Poetry Editor, a diplomatic Cancer and a lover of cats and dogs alike.
—Marcela Huerta
Marcela Huerta is the author of Tropico, a collection of poetry and creative nonfiction published by Metatron Press in 2017. Her work has been featured or is forthcoming in Vallum, Leste, ALPHA, Bad Nudes, Montreal Review of Books, spy kids magazine, CV2, and Lemon Hound.