Last year, the first issue of a new Midwest-focused, Eau Claire-based poetry zine Twig burst forth with an excellent slew of poems from young poets in our region. The mind behind the zine, Serena Wagner, told us last year the zine “brings poetry back into focus in an age where all we’re reading are clickbait headlines.” With this fall’s installment, Wagner found writers from all over the region and beyond to submit written words. But with the next issue, which releases in October, the zine will introduce a cool new visual component. After the poems were selected a few of them were then given to individual illustrators – most of which have ties to the Chippewa Valley – to interpret and put their own artistic spin on. The whole issue is a big collaboration between the writers and illustrators are transforming into a single collection. The second issue comes out on Oct. 8 with a release party at Ambient Inks, 524 Water St. featuring readings from Twig, music by Jerrika Mighelle and Humbird, refreshments, and more. To learn more about Twig, follow the publication on Facebook and Instagram. –Eric Christenson