by: kris t kahn

In June 1999 Mentress Moon found itself a comfy little niche on the World Wide Web and has been published quarterly ever since. Editor Jen Ross has been at the prow since the beginning, with occasional guest editor appearances over the years; for the most part though, and at the present time, Ross has been the sole woman-in-charge. She had this to say about the evolution of this women's poetry journal:

"Mentress Moon has been by women since the beginning. Then, as now, it was about liking women and feeling like there was something that could happen in a women's space. Something that should happen. I'm not comfortable with making any great big statements about whether women write differently from men or what that might mean. I don't really care if it's true or not. What interests me is how differently women write from each other, differences that are about geography and age and sexuality and family and money and, and, and. That's something I knew before but really understand now because of doing this."

Over the years, Mentress Moon has published such established poets as: Janet Buck, Sharon Shahan, and Sheila E. Murphy, as well as many lesser-known (which never means less-talented) poets. Ross aims to devote 70% of each issue to those who've not been previously published in Mentress Moon; this leaves the doorway open to new or unpublished writers, and also allows each issue an interesting array of poetic vision and voice.

Mentress Moon prefers to read submissions (send submissions to: editor@mentressmoon.com) which have not been previously published and which are not being simultaneously submitted. If submitting something that has been previously published, Ross requires that this be at least six months prior. Include the standard 3-5 poems (in the body of the email) in your submission; including a short bio will speed up the process. When submitting visual art, please submit a URL where the work can be seen; do not attach a file in your email. Response time is generally within a month's time.

What does Ross look for? "Specificity, immediacy and writing that tells me something I couldn't have known without reading it. Writing that reveals but doesn't explain. Writing with the fingerprints of its author all over it. I like imaginative imagery, a conversational tone, something tiny and sharp that digs in. I find humour really seductive. I find anger really seductive. As far as form goes, I am usually sent free verse poems and I love that, but I also love short fiction and prose poems and I'm excited when people play with rhyme and structure (if it doesn't interfere with the writing)."

As a writer herself, Ross recognizes the vulnerability involved for the poet during the submission process. "Submitting work is hard no matter how experienced the writer, and I want to acknowledge that with some effort on my part." Her part usually includes personalized responses to submissions. A generic rejection letter from Mentress Moon might look something like this:

Dear [name]

Thank you for sending your work for my consideration for Mentress Moon.

[some comments about the submission, usually only a line or two].

Unfortunately, I don't feel it's right for Mentress Moon at this time. I wish you all the best with your writing.

Yours sincerely
Jen Ross
Editor
Mentress Moon


The layout of Mentress Moon is very simple and easily navigable, without many distracting images or graphics, so that each reader can focus on what is most important: the words.

There are many different voices found at Mentress Moon. There is the in-your-face/post- feminist/Kathy Acker-esque voice of the poet kunt who (in "yes, i'm a cunt") explains in an almost confrontation, but sarcastic way:

"know this at last:
that faced with cunt you don't know what to do with cunt" (Feb. 2001).

There are also the more subtle voices, brimming with everyday insights rendered in exquisite poetics: the bravado felt during a 3am bus ride through India in Patty Mooney's "Taboo"; the witty romanticism in Melody Lewis' gorgeous "willow shade"; the abrupt, staccato-like rhythms employed by Suzanne Perez in "Frigid Girl's Love Song" — all found in the November 2001 issue which, as this review is being written, is the current issue of Mentress Moon.

Visual art also abounds here, usually one cover image per issue. Each piece of visual art seems to resonate, to challenge traditional views of women, or of what is termed as "women's art," and yet also seem to proudly proclaim: "Yes, I may be a woman, but I am also an artist. And a damn fine one at that."

This is not a women's publication which excludes or ostracizes men; in fact, a men's-only issue of Mentress Moon is slated for publication in March/April 2002. Mentress Moon will not cause men to squirm uncomfortably if they so choose to peruse the current issue or exhaust the archives. On the contrary: this is a showcase for some incredibly talented and vital contemporary poets who just happen to also be women.

Editor Ross realizes that a women's journal certainly raises issues (along with eyebrows), that "there are politics involved, [and while] I don't mind discussions about representation and discrimination and feminism and gender, I try to keep [these issues] separate from the space the journal occupies." These issues are, inevitably, raised merely by the presence of Mentress Moon itself; but the poetry found within is by no means preachy or completely vaginally absorbed. These are poems which speak for others, which stem from very real issues and scenarios, which lend insight to the problems, give voice to the nuances of current culture and the ways in which we all -- male and female alike -- live our lives.