Fall 2010 Issue: Autumnal Associations

We challenged one of our Graduate Student editors, Garrard Conley, with selecting the cover for the Fall 2010 issue.  He chose Max Ernst's Gypsy Rose Lee, for its vibrant color, suggestion of chestnuts, and whimsy.  Garrard chose well, as the cover unifies the many essays, short stories and poems you'll find in our latest issue. 

Here's a tidbit, one that recalls the Christmas season:

But what if she has good news,
carries just what the world hungers for--
wouldn't you rejoice?
Wouldn't you be there with forceps?

from "In the Produce Department," a poem by Pamela Davis

You can get your copy of SHR here.

Wishing all our writers and readers a wonderful holiday!

Pushcart Prize Nominations 2010

It was hard work choosing from among all our darling writers, but we did it.  Join us in celebrating SHR's Pushcart Prize nominees!  

Poems:

  Emma Bolden, “The Liturgy of the Word, Question II: The Methods of Destroying and Curing Witchcraft”

 Gladys Justin Carr, “May Frost”

Fiction:
 Michael Gills, “The Death of Bonnie and Clyde”
 Mark Jacobs, “Loss Leader”

Essays:
 Paul Crenshaw, “After the Ice”
 Joe Kraus, “Discovery. Invention. Creation.”

Congratulations!  And another round of applause for everyone that appeared in SHR's pages this year. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Best American Essays

You may recall our Fall 2009 issue featuring the vibrant volcano cover.  The cover was inspired by Neil Mathison's lovely essay, "Volcano: An A to Z."   As usual, our good taste is shared by others!  Neil's essay is among the honorable notables in this year's BEST AMERICAN ESSAYS.

Congratulations, Neil!  And thanks for letting us publish your work.

In addition, a few of our past contributors were recognized in the anthology:

John Gamel, Gary Fincke, Patricia Foster, David Hamilton, Eric Tretheway, Lee Zacharias, Jeffrey Hammond, Peter LaSalle, Priscilla Long, Desirae Matherly, Kat Meads, Kathleen Rooney,  Carrie Shippers, and Joyce Carol Oates.

"Decampment"

"This was where I first discovered/exactly what this land was missing"
 from Travis Mossotti's "Decampment"

SHR was proud to publish Mossotti's lovely poem, "Decampment," in our Winter 2010 issue.  Travis is an award-winning poet, teaching and living in California.  We are happy to share this short film by Josh Mossotti, based on Travis' poem.  This animated short is a poem for the eyes and ears.  We wish the Mossottis the very best, and extend heartfelt congratulations to them.

Watch the film below, and please visit the film's excellent website here.

Remembering Editor Tom Wright

Circa 1990.  Pictured, left to right :  Karen Beckwith, Dan Latimer, Mary Waters, Tom Wright

We remember SHR editor, Tom Wright, who died yesterday.  Tom was assistant editor (1983-85) and then co-editor of SHR (1985-1991) until his retirement in 1991.  Tom was a kind man, with a wicked sense of humor and a sweet tooth.  His many comment card reflect both characteristics. 

Dan closed his Fall 1991 Editors' Comment with the following lovely salute, which also seems appropriate now:

 "It is a matter of clear unanimity here...a unanimity of regret, that this fall issue is the last in which we can expect the collaboration of our colleague, Tom Wright, who escaped to retirement earlier this year.  We will miss his stabilizing influence, humor, and depth of experience.  Free now from the tyrannical quartan fever rhythms of four numbers and four hundred pages a year, may he now have leisure to indulge his bracing prose style, the most entertaining we have seen, to unfetter Pegasus and fly."

Tom will be missed by all of us here at SHR, and we keep his family and friends in our thoughts.