Folded Word
Exploring the world, one voice at a time.
Style Tips from the Chief
“Here, words do not speak about the world; rather they speak to the world, and to the expressive presences that, with us, inhabit the world.”
~David Abram, The Spell of the Sensuous
(Vintage Books; 1997, 2017)
Dear Word-Artists,
For the past year, I have been studying ecolinguistics and the impact language has on society’s view of the world. I am beginning to realize that what I’ve learned is influencing the types of work the press is publishing. In order to communicate these shifts to our authors and current/future contributors (like your good self), I’ll be posting a series of #FoldingWorlds style tips on our Instagram feed for the next few months, which will eventually become a blog series here.
In the meantime, you can help Folded Word become a sustainable archive of short-form literature that explores the intersection between humans and the landscape – including any/all of its inhabitants – by submitting single works of poetry and prose that will inspire readers, other writers, editors, and researchers to engage with and speak for their local ecosystems. We believe all organisms on the planet have an inherent right to exist (rather than existing for our use), so we welcome experimentation with pronouns and points of view that remove the it/object-inference within language that describes non-human life forms. Personification is allowed.
If these tips match pieces you’ve written, or if they inspire you to write a new piece, please use the form on our Submit page to share it with our Written Word Wednesday editors. For a more interactive approach to learning what we like, join us for the still-developing Folded Field Notes. Japanese-form poets can also particpate in our WonderFold series. Whether you write poems, flash fiction, or mini essays, we’d love to read your latest exploration of a little patch of our earth.
Cheers,
JS Graustein
Editor in Chief
Folded Word 