Bramble Fall 2026 print issue is now available.

Editor’s Note

In Appleton, I am surrounded by water: the Wolf River on the west, Fox River on the east, Lake Winnebago to the South and Lake Michigan a hopskip jump north. Behind my house, a fabulous pond with frequent visits from deer, geese, frogs, turkeys and a pair of white egrets. In my office, a bounty of wonderful poems on water from every possible angle. Honestly, a too few many wonderful poems.

Choosing only twenty poems for this issue of Bramble was not an easy task. More than once I expressed how glad I was not to know the authors while reviewing the submissions because that would have made my job even more difficult. Ultimately, I selected poems that featured water in wildly different ways. Of course, I had to include poems about the destructive impact humans have had on our environment, including “Vintage Water” and “Even the Bees.” On the other end of the spectrum, I appreciated poems that magnified a small point in time like the “slosh and sluice” of “Dishwasher” or the vividly visual “View From Behind a Waterfall.” You’ll also find tadpoles in “Life Lessons” and the big monsters in “The Sturgeon,” and yet more poems in which water is a greater metaphor for love, loss, angst, anger and nostalgia.

You’ll also find three fabulous essays that provide a unique perspective on how water has shaped each author’s life and love and livelihood.

I can’t wait for you to explore this issue. Don’t just dip your toe in: take a headfirst dive into the deep end. You won’t be disappointed.

Cathryn Cofell
Fall 2026

Cathryn Cofell

Cathryn Cofell was Appleton, Wisconsin's first poet laureate and is the immediate Past President of the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets. She’s published eight books of poetry, including Stick Figure With Skirt, winner of the Main Street Rag Poetry Award. www.cathryncofell.com.

Artist Bio

Bobbie Lee Lovell’s poetry honors include Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominations, and several awards from the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets. She assists with the Poetry Unlocked reading series in Appleton, Wisconsin, and is the author of a chapbook, Proposition at the Walk-In Infinity Chamber. Bobbie works as an in-house graphic designer in the Fox Valley and loves to hike when (or where) it’s warm outside.

Artist Statement

My nature photographs are the result of converging passions for visual art and hiking, plus a desire to share the beauty I see in the world. Collectively, they document both change and permanence through seasons and years—telling stories about human impacts, elemental forces and nature’s persistence.