Editor’s Letter, February 2015
This photo, taken by our new blog editor, Dina Relles, reminds me of that oft-repeated mantra among parents, “The days are long, but the years are short.” It’s felt like an impossibly long Canadian winter, with my youngest child home every few weeks, it seems, with some bug or other he’s picked up from school. During those sick days, we return to our pre-kindergarten rhythm, with more cuddle time on the couch, lazy, unscheduled lunches, and car rides that sometimes lull him to sleep. Before long, my son is back to his bouncy self, and ready to rejoin his friends and teachers. An uninterrupted cup of coffee awaits me, and more time to reflect, write, edit, and read.
Wherever you may be on your parenting journey, I’m certain there’s something for you to enjoy in this month’s issue.
In Columns, Cassie Premo Steele shares reader Nancy Brier’s light-hearted story about a young woman working at Selfridges department store in London, as well as a Q and A between the writer and Cassie about writing, desire, and empowerment. We also have Ona Gritz’s final installment of “Doing it Differently” called “Practical Love”—a stunning meditation on “the tangible, day-to-day ways we care for the people in our lives.” Fans of Ona will be happy to hear that she’ll be back with a new column in April, titled “Calling Home,” which will focus on how she and her family are redefining the concept of “home.”
In Creative Nonfiction, there’s “Model Mother” by Enid Irwin Madaras, which recounts one woman’s experience modeling in the basement of an art museum, where she felt “the sacred nature of pregnancy was acknowledged.” Stephanie Land’s “Your Every Move” offers a more harsh reality, in which mother and child face fear and uncertainty, at every turn.
In Fiction, there’s “Meat” by Idynne MacInnes, an affecting story of a mother captive to her memories, and who spends her days “relishing all the tenderness, joy, and love” of the past.
Literary Reflections brings us an Essential Reading List on Seasons, in which our editors recommend Tasha Tudor’s magical children’s stories, Bernd Heinrich’s Winter World, Louise Erdrich’s The Blue Jay’s Dance, and The Selected Letters of Willa Cather.
In Profiles, there’s Gina Consolino-Barsotti’s “Wanting It: A Profile of Diana Whitney”—a lively discussion on poetry, blogging, yoga, and embracing the flow in mothering.
We have two excellent reviews this month. The first, “Daughter Interrupted” by Jennifer Cognard-Black, looks at Kate Milliken’s stunning story collection If I’d Known You Were Coming. The second is Monica Frantz’s review of The M Word: Conversations about Motherhood, an anthology that has many of our staff talking around the virtual water cooler, for good reason.
And be sure to visit our Blog for up-to-date information on Calls for Submissions, guest posts for our After Page One, For Your Journal, and Op-Ed series, as well as Announcements.
We are always grateful for your comments, and hope you can share all this good writing with your friends via Facebook, Twitter, and other social media.
Warm wishes,
Maria