All that glitters is not gold;
Often have you heard that told:
Many a man his life hath sold
But my outside to behold:
Gilded tombs do worms enfold.
Had you been as wise as bold,
Young in limbs, in judgment old,
Your answer had not been inscroll’d:
Fare you well; your suit is cold.
The Prince of Morocco chose poorly; shiny things are not necessarily treasures.
Shakespeare wasn’t the first to discover this ancient trope. Heroine after heroine, hero after hero, have come to the galling realization that the thing into which they have poured all their treasure was cracked, cobwebbed, broken. Disillusionment follows.
And yet – the shiny, glittery things still beckon. Sometimes we find real treasures – if we’re prepared to look below the surface.
In this quarter’s issue, we explore our never-ending resistible urge to pour ourselves out. You will find a little bit of everything – potholes, ashes, affairs, guillotines, gallows – and, here and there, true joy.
The theme of our next issue will be Darkness and Light. Submissions will be open from March 1, 2019 through to May 1, 2019 – we hope to hear from all of you.
Between now and the time of publication, we’ll be making some changes around here (so watch this space). As a first step, we’re changing our contact details. You can find more information on our submissions page and, as always, keep up to date with our news on Facebook and Twitter. We look forward to sharing more with you!
— Alison Stedman, Senior Fiction Editor
© 2019, Alison Stedman
Halfway Down the Stairs 