In Poem #15, “Constantly Risking Absurdity” from A Coney Island of the Mind, the great San Francisco poet and publisher, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, compared the Artist to an acrobat “constantly risking absurdity and death,” climbing up on a “high wire of his own making” to perform high above a sea of faces. Once up on that wire, the Artist must respect the “taut truth” with each step “toward that still higher perch where Beauty stands and waits with gravity to start her death-defying leap.” All the Artist needs to do at that point is hope to catch Beauty’s “fair eternal form” while keeping balance on that narrow wire of truth, that unforgiving fact of gravity. Not an easy task. Most don’t bother trying. Most don’t take that risk. Most keep books. Most account for things. Most walk beats, file complaints, hear complaints, give refunds, give feedback, give samples, teach others, fill orders, raise children, serve serve serve . . . and secretly wonder what it must feel like to climb up on the high wire above that sea of faces and prepare to catch the enigmatic form of Beauty in their arms. And among those bookkeepers, accountants, coppers, lawyers, teachers, clerks and cooks, a few will make like the mythical mischievous Magpie and steal that most precious jewel – Time – to try their hand at that absurd and deadly high wire act. Through this small, as-yet-unknown, insignificant drop in that ocean of sites, ‘zines and online publications, The Thieving Magpie seeks to provide the platform, the safety net and the high wire for those who are curious and mischievous enough to climb up and risk absurdity.  And in doing so, perhaps more of the curious and mischievous will come out from their shadows and taste the mayhem.

In this first edition, we feature a young up-and-coming artist whose inspirations range from Goya and Chekhov to jazz pianist Bill Evans.  We have a university instructor-essayist, a librarian-poet, a schoolteacher-photographer, a vagabond and a suburban dad who burns for his lost glory.  The Thieving Magpie hopes the contents of this Issue 1 will entertain, provoke thoughts, and inspire its readers to take their own risks.  More to come . . .

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