EDITOR’S INTRODUCTORY REMARKS

The third issue of The Fib Review is a showcase of writers’ experiments with the Fibonacci sequence and its application to poetry, fiction, and dramatic dialogue. That these poets and writers have made such successful attempts at using this way of expression says much about the experimental nature of the writing process in general and about the experimental energy and daring of these writers in particular. As in the first two issues of The Fib Review, this issue contains an interesting mix of representation of writers from Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand and the United States.

It is with excitement that The Fib Review offers a variety of different experiments with the format of the Fibonacci sequence here, ranging in genre, topic, tone, word division, and word usage. Some poets have experimented with inversion where the Fibonacci poem follows the normal pattern of the 1-1-2-3-5-8 syllabic count, and then the poet inverts the count with lines that begin the second part of the poem at an 8 syllable count following an 8-5-3-2-1-1 pattern. The result forms a diamond shape, lending a visual element to the poem. Others have experimented by expanding the syllabic count beyond the generally accepted 1-1-2-3-5-8 format to additional lines that expand the syllabic count in line with the mathematical sequence. For example, one poem expands its syllabic count and dimension in this order: 1-1-2-3-5-8-13-21-34. Another writer has attempted to design a novelette using the Fibonacci sequence as the basic tool to tell the story.

Whether it is the surrealistic and sci-fi short fiction of Mark Arvid White, the passionate and sensitive shorts of Donna Gagnon, the tantalizing and perceptive visuals of Mary-Jane Grandinetti, or the wonderful literary experiments of the others published in this issue, they all show the vitality, artistic elegance, and wide range of possibilities that this ever-growing, mathematically-induced style of writing has to offer the reader. Love, sorrow, joy, hate and more of the stuff of life are celebrated in ways that capture the ear in the music of the lines and the eye with the words on the page.

Regardless of the manner in which these writers have employed the Fibonacci sequence to each genre, the experiments have been successful. Each experiment offers content that is meaningful and artful.

Any new literary form has a period of time wherein experimentation takes place. These experiments indicate that poets are using the Fibonacci form in many different modes to express the full range of emotions all writers attempt. Hopefully, The Fib Review continues as a space where the new form can take hold, expand, and always be open to experimentation.

OUR NEW EDITOR

With the next issue of The Fib Review, Muse-Pie Press welcomes Mary-Jane Grandinetti as our new editor. She comes to this position with a comprehensive knowledge of poetry, most especially with short forms of poetry. She has done research on different styles of short poetry, moderates workshops in short poetry (including haiku, the Fibonacci poem and more). She also has done extensive, interesting research on the historical use of the mathematical Fibonacci sequence and its influence on literature. In addition, her poetry has been published widely, and Muse-Pie Press has published her collection of Fibonacci poems, Chocolate Sauce, in our new series of chapbooks, Raven Chapbook Series. Given her knowledge and experience, we look forward to a successful period of growth for The Fib Review.