Founded by Kristian Evans and Zoë Brigley, MODRON seeks to publish the best established and emerging writers whose work absorbs and responds to the implications and challenges of climate change and the ecological crisis. MODRON embraces an ethic of dwelling with care, and an openness to the more-than-human, rejecting narratives of conquest and domination. Poetry and art are integral to the health of society, finding a new language for new experiences and new modes of being. Climate change and the ecological crisis are compelling transformation across all aspects of human experience, and poets and writers are searching for the words to describe these changes. A new way of being in the world has not only become possible, it has become necessary.
The name “MODRON” comes from Welsh myth and belongs to a half-forgotten ancestral mother figure, far older it seems than the more familiar characters. Linguistically, Modron is related to such words as Matrona and Madonna. She seems to survive in Welsh literature in such characters as Ceridwen, the witch-like keeper of the cauldron of inspriration, or awen, and mother of the archetypal poet, Taliesin. We might also find traces of her presence in Morgan le Faye, the half-sister of King Arthur, sometimes his counsellor, sometimes his opponent. MODRON is an appropriate presiding spirit then for a distinctly Welsh magazine focused on writing that engages with the ecological crisis.
MODRON has a dedicated team. The founders, Kristian Evans and Zoë Brigley, created the anthology 100 Poems to Save the Earth and edited (with Rob A. Mackenzie) the “Dwelling” issue of Magma Poetry. They are joined by Taz Rahman who produces the successful YouTube channel Just Another Poet and whose first collection will be published by Seren in 2024. Former editor of Taliesin Siân Melangell Dafydd will take care of submissions in Cymraeg, while soon-to-be Seren poet Glyn F. Edwards is an associate editor based in the north of Wales.
MODRON will feature poems, interviews, articles, as well as community pages with news about ecological community projects. We offer a hub to bring people together to share ideas and inspire and support each other.
We accept submissions in English and Cymraeg. Submission windows will be announced via social media (Twitter @ModronMagazine) and our mailing list.
With thanks also to the Books Council of Wales / Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru for their support.
Find out more about our team here. The graphics and logo for MODRON were created by Breanne LeJeune.
Modron Magazine 