|
The Winter/Spring Issue
Dear Readers,
Welcome to our latest issue. As we've spoken to many of you about the magnetic momentum of the commencement of 2014 and our wishes for all of us in the year ahead, I wish to share a simple moment of the day with you that comprised these sentiments. In the midst of a silvery snowstorm, I was summoned from my work to see a visitor in the yard; a brilliant, joyous flash of red against the snowfall. The wind blew cold and fierce enough to rattle the windows, but from his sanctuary in the bare arms of the bush, the visitor was ever calm and still, blazing a fiery red through the chaos of white flakes that enveloped him under a gray sky. So often we're too busy to notice the beauty of a fleeting moment. There was something about the cardinal that struck me; his red, unforgettable, his presence welcome. If literature is chalk full of symbols, why not take a deeper look at daily life?
I took it upon myself to research the meaning of my feathered friend and he fit right in with our issue's themes in the New Year: hope, perseverance, the fight for the attainment of one's hopes, dreams, health and the right to nurture themselves as an individual while also extending a hand to others. It is a call to realize full potential and embrace individuality. When seen against the snow in winter, it is supposedly a sign of good to come in the spring and a reminder: "I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest." As birds are naturally messengers (our logo being that of a dove) perhaps the cardinal is heralding the new issue and the themes found within its pages and within so many of us this season.
At this magazine, we are a community, a family, united in more ways than one and it is my sincere hope that the beauty of that moment is a sign of something wondrous for us all. Happy 2014, everyone!
Warm Regards,
Nicole M. Bouchard, Editor-in-Chief
In this issue we have two fascinating interviews that deal with the power of words, process, the need for solitude in creating, roles in relationships and the essence of identity from different perspectives (one a USA Today and NYT best-selling fiction author whose works bring history alive, the other a celebrated artist/author who paints the world anew in words and images that touch the soul), multimedia components that are moving works of art, special features that touch the heart or share journeys, new artists to accent our pages, the winner of the Writers' Challenge, deep poetry, fiction and non-fiction.
On our interview page, we step through the looking glass, traversing time and space, to enter secret worlds of missing journal pages, unspoken words and untold stories. Through the reconstructed psyches of three women who graced the pages of history yet had so much more of their tales to tell, NYT and USA Today best-selling author Melanie Benjamin takes us closer in fiction to knowing these figures than we might ever have gotten the chance to otherwise. We discuss timeless messages to women across generations, the power of fiction to redress and resolve history, exposure and independence for inspiration, the artistic process of historical fiction and finally, the imaginative circumstance of being able to travel back in time and spend a day with one of the dynamic protagonists of her novels.
Benjamin's works (Alice I Have Been, The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb, The Aviator's Wife) have been chosen as Indie Next Picks, featured in publications such as O Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly and People as well as featured on NPR. The Aviator's Wife is slated for the silver screen with Jennifer Garner to portray the iconic figure of Anne Morrow Lindbergh. As an adroit storyteller, intuitive, instinctual and attune to the "emotional truths", Benjamin strikes true with the aim of her pen. The result is powerful and lingering.
Diving deep into a vivid array of imagery, hue and allegory we get to swim in the very waters of creation with an author/artist whose work extends beyond books to murals that tell stories both inspiring and sacred. The vibrant, extraordinary Margot Datz shares her sage advice through the pairing of incredibly detailed artwork and engaging writings in her book, A Survival Guide For Landlocked Mermaids. Datz entices us to enter her realm as she waves us in and gently urges us to think upon how to uniquely live our lives no matter the confines of culture, how to tend to the inner garden of our thoughts, how wisdom is "wrestled from struggle" creating "infinite insight and compassion" that increases with age, how to remain playful, how to be discerning in matters of the heart and how to surround ourselves with individuals who encourage, celebrate and support us.
Datz's artwork has appeared in publications such as Architectural Digest, House and Garden Magazine, InStyle Magazine, Publisher's Weekly, Rolling Stone and Newsweek. Notable Clients and Collectors include Carly Simon, Billy Joel, Garth Brooks and Dustin Hoffman. Datz has illustrated six books and painted hundreds of residential, commercial, and public murals, both regionally and across the country. Be sure to watch the Edgartown Whaling Church Mural Restoration video by Martha's Vineyard Productions to glimpse her process.
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 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 are pleased to present a special feature that is a journey from a crossroads in life back to the very heart of the passion to write. It is a unique account detailing ten days of an in-depth Creative Writing MFA program. You will have the opportunity to read an excerpt and then download the full piece which takes you through an inspiring, often humorous and enlightening look at the many facets of being a writer. We accompany award-winning author, screenwriter, and playwright, Bill Mesce on his odyssey, getting to learn and grow right along with him as preconceived notions/expectations are dispelled, the light and shadow of the writer's life are examined, the importance of balance is stressed, varied forms and philosophies are introduced and finally, most importantly, we are reminded of that fundamental creative flame which is the very reason why we writers do what we do.
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 have a re-vamped Feedback form which we encourage you to use. We also have a Scrapbook page celebrating five years as a publication. *In the span of 2013, we were read in 65 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 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.
Inscribing Industry is our blog devoted to the business aspects of writing, featuring exercises, articles and interviews. We intend to have a regular schedule of interesting interviews and content on the blog. DISCUSSION ENCOURAGED!!! WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Click on the newly installed Inscribing Industry tab to go directly there 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 by writers we've worked with in the past. Please check the submissions guidelines page before submitting and if you have any questions, please write to:
questions (at) thewriteplaceatthewritetime.org
|
