An INTRODUCTION

So, lets disturb, at least briefly, the shelves that carry Northwest literary anthologies. clear-cut is a document of current Seattle literature. It will acquaint you with known and many unknown writers thriving here. It's an attempt to open Seattle to the nature of poetics, as opposed to the tight path of nature poetry. Nature is a language - its own - more complete than we are / capable of reproducing. What's significant about this collection? Is it the writing? The medium of its presentation? Could it be that there are no anthologies of Seattle writers. No urban writer's forum. What's Seattle's reputation in the literary world, is there a cohesiveness to the writing in this collection that establishes a trend?.....the rain. clear-cut is an expedition into one possible future of Seattle writing. Literary presses in the Northwest are few, and fewer yet are interesting. They don't seem willing to take a chance on the literary resource around them. clear-cut's contributors are Seattlites devoted to their method of expression who continue to produce exceptional works. They are evidence of an /other/ writing community offering intelligent alternatives within the art. The use of the Internet seemed appropriate to create a document of Seattle literature, because of its capability to act as an on-going archive. On the other hand, prohibitive computer costs made it necessary to produce a limited sampler book version. This project grows out of the energy of previous projects. In 1993, Sub Rosa Press published an experimental magazine REMIXSPONSE CATEGORIARRAY. It included work from small/micro press practitioners of a verbo-visual avant garde around the country. While editing it it became obvious to me that the Seattle contributors to the magazine had a strong offering which was going unnoticed at home. There have been few reading venues or journals in town presenting challenging experiments in language. In 1994, I implemented the Subtext Reading Series, and now with an expanded core of support, it's on a regular schedule at the Speakeasy Cafe every 3rd thursday of the month. The title clear-cut evokes the sharp and distinct. It hinges the senseless convenience of logging practices in the Northwest to a near-paperless electronic solution. Also, and perhaps more importantly, it implies a need to sever the connection with local literary assumptions. Aiming at the eyes to hit the knees.

© Nico Vassilakis