In the Sneak Peek series we are talking about and highlighting some great works that will be presented in volume 19. Each editor chose a piece they were excited to share with others, so keep an eye out for them in the journal.
By Grace Guindon
Title: Tales of a Traveling Thief
Author: Alexis Tavares
What really grabs my attention when reading any type of work is actually the title. I think the title is very important because it is the first taste of what is to come and if done right can further entice and interest the reader. In Alexis Tavares’s “Tales of a Traveling Thief” I was instantly curious about this title and work as a whole. It got me thinking just what will this be about? What is so creative about this piece is that it is divide into two sections. The first consists of things the narrator has already stolen on her journeys, while the second section details all the things the narrator wishes to steal. While not provocative in the intended sense, I believe that this poem looks deeply at life and its unforgiving quickness which makes us want to latch onto every small spark of real joy we can get. Both sections, while different, explore and reveal the narrator’s feeling and reasoning. The first section is light and fun. It almost dances its way through the paragraphs, painting a picture of what the narrator sees. The way it is portrayed and its beauty, makes the reader want to be apart of it too. This is where we see the narrator’s perspective on life saying that “when we’re all in the grocery store, I think that everyone inside is sharing an experience with me.” We can see what the narrator values and what they take note of while passing through life. The second section contains a greater bitterness and critique about the world, it talks about how others try and dictate the narrators’ thoughts and action. It shows the way people possibly perceive us, ways that are not very flattering, ways that are even dehumanizing. In a nice juxtaposition from the first section, we can see the two realities of life: the good and the bad, or really the whole spectrum in-between.
The Bridge 