Setu 🌉 सेतु: Voices Within 2020: Guest Editor’s Note

Poems have never been really written; they just happen as a reward of listening to inside and the surrounds. The sensory images do arrive and stay when we are open to the world around us. It’s always interesting to note that the poets have a knack of finding a different aspect to the poems, refocusing them in new lights.

For this edition of Voices Within-2020’, I am thankful to Dr. Sunil Sharma, the editor of the English Section of Setu, the bilingual literary journal, published from Pittsburgh, USA, for giving me again the opportunity to guest edit like last year, the special poetry section titled ‘Voices Within’ wherein the best poems of the emerging as well as established Indian Poets writing in English are included.

‘Voices Within-2020’ brings poetry of various colours, hues and textures. Some poems are tracing the inward journey to the soul, some reflects on the surface elements. Some poems are quiet. Some are typical in their graceful insight. Some poems are – a further pleasure – incapable of being anything other than clear in their voices.

Poetry is a blend of ideas and imagination. In poetry, one allows ambivalence and ambiguity of multiple meanings to coexist at times. It may be noted that strong imagery, innovative style and syntax are important elements of the modern poetry and I have stressed that in no uncertain terms.

It’s all too known that poetry is making a story out of a moment. You can unpack any moment in many different ways and the voice strikes a right note only if the reader is able to understand the nuances of poetry.

The response for Voices Within-2020 by ‘Setu’ is overwhelming. I am thankful to all the poets for sending their poems. It’s a challenging task to select the best poems amongst many.

Most of the poems are in sync with the poetic elements which I am looking for and are accepted for publication but unfortunately not all. A few of the Bios are edited to make them succinct.

Like last year, Voices Within-2020 showcases wonderfully evocative poems. More than anything, this collection is a delight never to overlook.

Gopal Lahiri