The Lumberyard

Lumberyard was born out of the minds of two rural children climbing the rafters and rolling in the sawdust of a lumber supply shed in the 1970s. Their father was a carpenter, a man of hammer and nail, always a tape measure hooked to his belt. His trade: perfection. The children watched his hands and dreamed they, too, might grow up and make something beautiful. Their tools would be those of ink and paper, of word and symbol, signifier and signified. Their medium: Lumberyard magazine, a collaborative project combining the art of letterpress and the literary arts.

An excerpt from Issue #2:

Far from the Flower
by Leslie Adrienne Miller

De Formato foetu, 1631
Pregnant female figure in vivo, anterior view

She's open from the navel out, petals
etched with veins and tapered into points
that float the child on billows and tiers,
like a gift to a king or a ring to a bride,
trailing the unruly tendril of his cord
while mother leans one beefy knee against a tree,
so a branch can leaf itself between her thighs,
and hide the brutish corridor of love.
Her oddly flat and mannish breasts are shoved
above the meaty rose, and aside from flying coif,
no one could ever guess these strapping thighs
belong to any body bound to bloom.

Badger Buried Alive
by Adam Day

She buried Badger to the neck,
a mouth full of dirt, tarred and steam-
rolled asphalt around him. Sat down
sweating from her work to a dish
of pickled sweet breads and chili
basil. Badger sang a muffled
song: If you were as lonely as the moon
I would gather like the stars around you.
She laughed. He was a funny Badger.
The wind in the leaves sounded
like rain; the trees were streaked
with soot. Her mind wondered.
Badger's hammertoe itched -
he thought, God must be in heaven;
he isn't here.

We seek to build a new platform for the arts to speak to the world--to bring literary and visual artistry together, creating a portal for all to enter, experience, and be uplifted in our limited human journey towards understanding. We hope you will dive into these pages feet first, get sopping wet, and come back for more.

Lumberyard is a collaboration between brother and sister duo, Eric and Jen Woods.

Eric Woods is the owner of THE FIRECRACKER PRESS, a letterpress shop based in St. Louis, MO.

Jen Woods "Woodsy" is an Associate Editor at SARABANDE BOOKS, a nonprofit literary press in Louisville, KY.

Lumberyard is published twice a year, with one winter issue and one summer issue.

Submissions of no more than three poems or works of flash fiction (300 words or less), previously unpublished, are accepted year-round and can be emailed to info@lumberyardmagazine.com. While our submissions are open, we are a growing project and turn-around time may be slow. You may always email with any questions.

What do we look for? We like lots of stuff. However, a strong affinity for the concept of design mixed with the literary experience is encouraged, as all work will be placed within the magazine in a spirit of collaboration between visuals and the written word--and we like to give the designers a pretty wide range to create. If you have a spirit of adventure, you're probably a good candidate for Lumberyard.