It’s not every day I find multiple works in a lit magazine that deeply compel me. Entertain? Yes. Exhibit good writing skills, knowledge of literature, and an investment in one of the following: plot, setting, character, dialogue, imagery? Also yes. I admit that as a lit journal editor and highly scrutinous writer I am rather hard to please. By experience and desire, I’m always seeking fiction that doesn’t just string me along—I want to read work that yanks at me, hard. Work that pulls me into the next paragraph or page. Pastes inside my mind an image that’s hard to unravel. Chaotic Merge is a (digital) journal that offers a selection of work (poetry, fiction, nonfiction, plays, and multimedia) that I’m delighted to read. It presents multiple pieces per issue that surprise me with their depth and drive for expression and connection. I even enjoy the magazine’s simple explanation of their own name:
When choosing the name of this magazine, we wanted to find a name that included the diverse voice we search for and capture the beauty of an artist’s thought process. We thought these two went hand in hand. When an artist’s mind is clouded with so many thoughts, they might want to capture it. At first, it might seem messy, even chaotic, but when playing with structure and balance, it can become something beautiful.
As a writer and editor, I recognize that much of the process of creating comes down to how you let that chaos, the multitude of thoughts, inside. To shape them, allow them to truly become. Understanding that the process is messy allows for a nonjudgmental space where that refinement of craft can really begin.
In Chaotic Merge’s latest, Issue 7, I thoroughly enjoyed reading “Give Me My Sin Again,” a story by J. Alan Nelson. Wrapped neatly within an endless-feeling set of snappy, snarky, and beautifully romantic Shakespearian quotes that make up the majority of the work’s dialogue is a deeply sorrowful story of loss, of division, death, racial segregation, and love. I promise, though, it’s not just for lit nerds. I also liked the highly sensorial and nuanced short fiction piece “English Leather” by Kevin B., whom Weird Lit has also had the privilege of publishing.
Head over to Chaotic Merge and give yourself the opportunity to sit down for a while with one of their issues. I’m confident you will find something that will reach you.