Dear Editor,

‘Who reads it?’ asks Gerard Windsor of HEAT (ABR, June 1999) and admits he no longer does. In fact, he confesses, he never reads stories or essays by writers who don’t have a book to their name. What a strange and limiting conceit! But as for who reads HEAT, well, I for one do – every issue, from cover to cover. And there must be more like me; people who read for enjoyment, who read for reasons other than job or duty, who read to please themselves.

I like HEAT. It may be a mélange, but there are few duds in the mix, and patterns and themes can often be glimpsed in the juxtapositioning of writers and text, poems and visuals, allowing pieces to resonate and spark off one another. This is a hallmark of HEAT and evidence of Indyk’s skill as an editor. HEAT is challenging, stimulating, and thought provoking. Few would like everything with equal fervour, and personally I admit that pieces have lost me or left me puzzled. But never bored.