potluck
noun
pot·luck | \ ˈpät-ˈlək
, sense 1b also -ˌlək\
Definition of potluck
1a : the regular meal available to a guest for whom no special preparations have been made
b : a communal meal to which people bring food to share —usually used attributively a potluck supper
2 : whatever is offered or available in given circumstances or at a given time
(from: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/potluck)
Summer is near. As I write this, the sky on the other side of my window is a deep, inviting blue, sweetly seducing me to come outside and enjoy the sun. Most of us, students, will be able to do so when vacation finally starts, but even if you are stuck at work during the day we will try to bring a bit of sunshine to your screen, and to get you outside afterwards.
In order to achieve this, we have come up with a new theme that emphasises the joy of sharing, of getting together and exchange your creations. In the traditional sense of the word this of course refers to food, but the less gifted cooks among us do not need to worry. For the coming three months, we want to ask you to share your stories about summer, sharing, unexpected guests, and making the best out of the circumstances you were given.
“Three months?” you may wonder, and we wonder a little with you. But summer is the perfect moment to take a breath, and a break, and so we have decided to keep this potluck going a little bit longer. In September we will be back with a fresh two-monthly theme!
This extension has some upsides as well, though, as we would love to actualise this theme together with you and to share a potluck with anyone interested. We are planning to celebrate Paratext and the contributions to come in the end of August – the perfect moment to get together after the holidays, sit outside and enjoy the last rays of sun with a picknick where we all contribute: food, a piece of writing you want to read aloud, a song, a dance – or a combination of those. Let’s surprise each other and celebrate summer! We will announce a place and a time later, so be sure to follow the site and/or our social media.
Celebrating what is to come is never a bad idea, and it simultaneously is a moment where we can look back on the past theme, parallax. We have shifted our perspectives in various ways: the ‘doorgeefverhaal’ written by the editing team, which turned and twisted into an exhilarating and unexpected narrative. Ricardo Moran provided a poem of many perspectives, Saskia Soelaksana wrote about a Nutcracker and took us to the ground in Dear Concrete. Tinka Stavenuiter shared four beautiful illustrations and Robin van den Brule wrote some accompanying lines. Cephalopoid worked with image and text in their work “Have you seen this” and H.D.S. contributed a two-part poem in Dutch called “Moederziel Alleen”. The last contribution from this theme (super fresh!) was written by Marisca van der Mark.
Most importantly, we challenged our own perspective as organisers of our first big event, Publish It Yourself, an initiative by Juul Kruse. It was a lovely, productive day with the theme “Still Life” and several pieces that were written have been published on our website (by Harlette Deree, Marlon Schotel, Iris Bergevoet). Finally, we took a field trip to CB Printforce to collect the fully finished printed book the participants created! We have some copies left, so if you are interested in purchasing this very exclusive book for 10 euros (plus shipping), you can send an email to paratextmag@gmail.com
It is safe to say that we look back on spring with happy hearts, and we can’t wait to share summer with you! If you want to contribute a piece, please get in touch: paratextmag@gmail.com
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