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The Winter/Spring Issue
When the notion for this Art & Soul issue was first conceived, we pondered what the benefits and consequences were to assigning a theme. Over the years, without ever formally declaring one, themes formed each issue of their own volition. Our primary concern was that the natural serendipity, an element we were founded upon, wouldn't be present with an engineered focus. We were under the illusion that we might actually be in control this time, that we could force something and that the 'magic' in how this publication seems to work might dissipate. How presumptuous. It is with relief, pleasure and amusement that we share how the magazine rose to the occasion with gusto—reinforcing, redefining our desired theme and assigning its own neat assortment of sub-themes.
It reared up and declared that we are not its almighty masters; thank goodness. This magazine, our staff, readers, contributors and whatever higher power or divine inspiration seems to like us, perched over the desk to advise, make up a collaborative effort. At the Arthurian round table, we are connected in thought and deed toward a greater purpose. In this, we remain who we are; in this, we remain unique.
The premise of the issue is as follows: The Art & Soul issue will focus upon the connections between mediums, between creations and creators, between creative works and their audiences, between the different people who interpret these works in their individual ways.
In early October, our own Ken Steinkamp recommended a film which we saw at a later point in the assembling process of Art & Soul and it fit perfectly. Words and Pictures (2013) not only stresses the importance of literature and literary magazines, but asks the question, which is more important—words or pictures? In posing a challenge to prove one above the other, the characters in the film underscore the power of both and how they can stand alone or reach an entirely new level when combined. This is emphasized in various aspects of the issue. Yet we don't stop at words and pictures; there is music, there is three-dimensional art seen in video.
You will be able to see a variety of imagery in different styles, know the stories behind the images through written commentary accompanying the visuals for the first time, learn from artists constantly innovating in their fields, watch captivating videos bringing myth to life in different mediums, respond in writing to a photograph inspired by a dream, hear entrancing music, define the inspiration of your workspace and read soulful poetry, fiction and non-fiction in a number of themes. Throw in a bit of dark humor, some romanticism, the Pre-Raphaelites, ekphrasis, and just a dash of medievalism for good measure.
We are pleased to present to you our thrilling Art & Soul Issue...
In this winter/spring edition, we have three unique interviews, three different mediums, redefining the way we think about storytelling and art:
Pairing ethereal sound and contemporary innovation, Sleepthief, the musical project of writer/composer Justin Elswick, transports listeners into symbolic realms where the emotive stories that unfold there prompt them to uncover their own. There is a forthcoming rapport as we discuss storythreads (from a song's inception to its final release, video and cover art), inspirations, masks of artists, and journeys of music. With an ardent fanbase expressing their intimate connections to the songs, it would seem fair to say that this music is felt as much as it is heard.
Comprised of electronic, ambient, Celtic, classical, pop and world music elements, Sleepthief celebrates the alchemy of powerful combinations. This is further illustrated by the individuals who have collaborated with this music project including established vocalists Jody Quire, Joanna Stevens, Coury Palermo, Kirsty Hawkshaw, Zoë Johnston, Caroline Lavelle, Harland, Nicola Hitchcock, Kyoko Baertsoen, Roberta Carter Harrison, san.drine, Mirabilis, Suzanne Perry, Jerri Eckert, Lauren Edman, Janna Thompson Ellsworth; guitarists Josh Aker and Vic Levar; and co-producer Israel Curtis. A number of the vocalists have also worked with groups such as Delerium, BT, Balligomingo, Radiohead and Wild Strawberries.
The gripping work of mixed media artist Lynne Perrella, in a series that gave visual form to the characters of The Canterbury Tales, served as one of the very first inspirations for the Art & Soul issue. She shares her insights on influences, the "mythic partnership that occurs, when a visual artist 'carries the banner of the written word,'" surrender, spontaneity, process and showing up each day to our craft.
Perrella graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and began a career as a commercial artist. In 1970, she co-founded Perrella Design, Inc. with her husband, John. She worked as an illustrator and designer for over thirty years. Her interest in Correspondence art led her to create Acey Deucy, a rubber stamp company. Pursuing a continued fascination with paper arts, Perrella worked in collage and assemblage. She was selected to serve on the editorial advisory board of two publications—Somerset Studio and Somerset Memories. She gives workshops throughout the US and abroad, contributes frequent articles to a number of paper arts magazines and has authored five books on mixed media. These include Art Making, Collections & Obsessions, Artists' Journals & Sketchbooks, Alphabetica, Beyond Paper Dolls and Art Making & Studio Spaces. Her artwork appears in twenty-six books.
According to Wikipedia, the expression, "Here be dragons" and its derivatives, is meant to convey dangerous and/or unexplored areas, referring to the "medieval practice of putting dragons, sea serpents and other mythological creatures" in the uncharted territories of maps. Paper mache artist Dan Reeder, with his ingenuity and sense of whimsy, takes us off the map into uncharted territory amongst monsters with personality—and sets the paper mache scene aflame. It was through our amazement watching a time-lapse video of a dragon being formed that we happened upon his work, which is fast becoming an internet phenomenon. To give an idea, one video had over 600,000 shares on Facebook. Here, there be dragons.
Reeder has been creating his unique, non-traditional 'paper' mache art for over four decades. His work has been displayed in fairs, galleries, and art museums. He published his first book in 1984, The Simple Screamer: A Guide to the Art of Papier and Cloth Mâché, featured in USA Today. It was in print for over twenty-five years and sold around the world. Its success led to two sequels, the most recent being Papier Mâché Monsters: Turning Trinkets and Trash into Magnificent Monstrosities. He has also written a book specifically for his dragon fans. Paper Mache Dragons details the making of dragons and dragon trophies. His site, Gourmet Paper Mache, currently ranks number one on the Top 100 Craft Sites Report.
Highlights:
The spring/summer issue will be released May 22nd. 9/22, 1/22 and 5/22 will be our publication schedule going forward with reminders and updates sent out accordingly. Please let us know if you have any questions and we will be happy to answer them for you.
We have a Writers' Craft Box which is a section dedicated to giving writers hints, tools, essays, features on the craft and advice. Think of it as an arts and crafts box full of colors and inspiration...or an old toy chest discovered in the attic on a rainy day... In this edition, we travel to Florence, Italy, examining through art and poetry the evolution and depiction of love. Azelina Flint describes her exhibition "Poetry and Painting: From the Medieval Period to Today": a joint project with visual artist Luca Macchi, produced by the Association: Sincresis D'a Spazio Arte in Empoli, Florence. Then, assistant editor Denise Bouchard shares her charming workspace and asks 'What's on your desk?' Lastly, a surreal, dynamic image—inspired by a dream—from a photographer new to our community, compels your written response.
Outside of the issue, we've been out blazing trails with our social media storytelling experiment, Twitter Tales. The concept was initially developed to explore some of the quandaries many writers face with today’s social media (its roles, possibilities and limitations). Eleven pioneers started with one post, taking turns to build a story, a fictional world, 140 characters at a time. It's been thrilling to watch how the story evolves, how it's been infused by digital artwork through a contest run on a social platform site, and how we've been able to gather findings for this creative experiment of sorts which not only dispels common beliefs and answers questions, but introduces new considerations. Read the upcoming post detailing the art component which features input from the winning contest participants about their art being inspired by words. Stay tuned for Twitter, Facebook and blog updates!
We have an Archives page where readers and writers can trace our artistic journey from the beginning and re-read the wisdom of writers such as Janet Fitch, Alice Hoffman, Dennis Lehane, Joanne Harris, Frances Mayes, Arthur Golden, Jodi Picoult and many, many more!
We also have a Scrapbook page celebrating six years as a publication with words from our contributors. *In the span of 2014, we were read in nearly 70 countries! See also our comprehensive "Search" feature: type in keywords to search the entire site, including all of the archives.
Please send in all new announcements to appear in the next issue by April 15th for the return edition of the Announcements page. As always, we love to celebrate and support our contributing artists and writers as they accomplish great things on their creative paths and we also like to give news of our publication to our readership. We encourage all contributing writers and artists to tell us of their news so that we can use this page as a forum to help promote their endeavors and showcase the amazing diversity of activity that takes place in our online community.
We have a presence on Facebook via our fan page which offers insights, quotes, tools, resources and updates. Visit Facebook.com and stop by The-Write-Place-At-the-Write-Time-literary-journal page. Follow our Twitter account through @WriteplcWritetm. You can also join our e-mail list by providing your e-mail address along with the words "ADD ME" through our feedback form on the Feedback and Questions page.
Inscribing Industry is our associated blog, featuring exercises, articles, book giveaways, special features, reviews and interviews. Click on the newly installed Inscribing Industry tab to go there directly or visit: http://inscribingindustry.blogspot.com and become a follower!
We are a triannual publication (published three times a year) and an official member of the CLMP (Council of Literary Magazines and Presses) listed on the Poets & Writers site (www.pw.org) under literary magazines. Clicking on our listing describes our publication, past issues, and our editorial focus. We are also listed on Newpages.com, EWR, Duotrope Digest, Agentquery.com, P&E and The Review Review. To read more about our philosophies and approach, you can read the interview of our Editor-in-Chief in The Review Review:
http://www.thereviewreview.net/interviews/there-blending-cultures-generations-and-countries
Our next issue will be our spring/summer issue due out May 22nd. The submissions deadline for the issue is April 15th; we will however consider extensions until May 1st if notified ahead of time. Please check the submissions guidelines page before submitting and if you have any questions, please write to:
questions (at) thewriteplaceatthewritetime.org
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