Borderlands are venues for encounter, exchange, and conflict. They encompass not only physical or legislative borders, but also abstract spaces—psychological, cultural, social, and natural. What happens in the limbic, the transitional, and the in between? What is gained and what is lost in the act of defining boundaries? What questions does the space raise of race, class, gender, citizenship, and identity? Hayden’s Ferry Review invites writers and artists to interpret the theme as they like. We’d prefer interpretations of a personal nature, rather than general, but mostly we just want strong, passionate pieces that excite and challenge.
Read MoreFirst there was Chaos, the vast immeasurable abyss,
Outrageous as a sea, dark, wasteful, wild.
[John Milton, Paradise Lost]
Chaos has many meanings. The ancient Greeks saw Chaos as the dark abyss from which life sprung. Mathematicians use Chaos theory to explain how small decisions can give rise to unexpectedly grave consequences. For parents, Chaos is their child’s bedroom, their busy work schedule. Most of us spend our lives trying to ward off Chaos and keep order. But what happens when we no longer avoid Chaos, and instead embrace it?
Read More