Volume 61
Editors’ Note
Let’s be blunt. It’s bleak out there. When accepting work for the 61st issue of the Red Cedar Review, it became apparent to the editorial team that the pieces selected for the issue were representative of what we as people are thinking about in this current time. The editing team often found ourselves discussing the state of the world during the selection process. We sought solace from the world, as well as work directly addressing it. In an increasingly profit-driven and power-hungry society, we, as writers and artists, remain resilient in our compulsion to create. Reading every submission reminded us that, despite the oppressive corporate idea of art, authentic and human works are being born and shared.
This issue was created in a time in which empathy is discouraged and even condemned as a weakness. The divide between people is encouraged to grow larger and larger every day through the news and even the current administration. We are threatened to be silenced, to lose our right to the freedom of speech, and still we persist in our work. Every contributor in the Red Cedar Review has taken it upon themselves to exercise their expression; we are honored that they entrusted us with it.
Beyond the lack of empathy, we continue to witness the alarmingly quick rise of Generative AI. With its integration into classrooms, search engines, and especially the cultural consciousness, it is easy to feel discouraged. AI is fundamentally conservative. Pattern recognition and recreation are not true demonstrations of art. It cannot take leaps in logic or build upon an idea. Only people, writers, and artists can truly innovate and create, and nowhere is that more apparent than with the talented writers and artists in our issue. We at the Red Cedar Review believe it is of the utmost importance that literary magazines continue to be shared and read. Literary magazines have always been about sharing human stories, experiences, and art. They act as a starting point for community, conversation, and creativity. It is through community that we are able to find strength.
Our team is incredibly grateful that we are able to continue our magazine. We would like to thank every contribution, every submission, and every reader. It is through these interactions that we can exist. We are incredibly honored to be trusted with all of the work submitted to us. Most of all, our editorial team would like to give a shout-out to our beloved Dr. Tim Conrad for mentoring us and assisting us on our journey in the completion of the 61st issue of the Red Cedar Review!
We hope that after reading this edition, you find something to take with you, that you find inspiration to keep reading and creating amid the chaos, and that you never let your voice be silenced.
Table of Contents
Prose
The Summer My Stove Knobs Were Broken – Emma Greathead
Man’s Best Friend – Ryan Offermann
Body Horror – Lucas Lee
How to: Make An American’s London Fog Latte – Casidy Howard
The Starman – Carter Vance
Good Grief – Dimitri Teixeria
Death and Decadence: The Brooding Bunch – Emily Smith
Poetry
Tabula Rasa – Omar Zeifer
Another Dead Grandmother Poem – Isa Hoofangle
Couch Baby – Muna Agwa
Skin of Water – Athena Seaborn
If a Bear Should Happen – Ramsey Jester
Picture – Meghan Branham
How to Make Lefse – Maia Patton
175 – Caleb Frailey
Net – Danny Mask
The Weight of What Isn’t There – J.H. Davis
The Moon Is A Boat – Joan Hu
She Was Always Him – Sophia Wherley
Argument: An Explanation That Supports An Idea That Isn’t True – Sara S. Barenfeld
Monsoon Season – Ashmi Ranjan
Visual Art
A Mundane Road In Yogya – Lara Maun
Nombrane – Sophia Sarkies
Under Pressure – Lynn Wright
Broad-Tailed Hummingbird – David Such
Privy to Pregnancy – Denver Boxneiter
Take the Lead – K.G. Ricci
Toast – Ronald Walker
Cafe Terrace at COVID Capacity – Donald Patten
