From the Editor, September 2016

Do you remember the last time you tried to catch a bubble?

I suspect you held your breath as you were moving your hand into position. The bubble probably popped and splattered a soapy film across your palm, but I imagine you laughed. Then, you blew through your bubble wand and moved into position to try again. With each subsequent attempt, you adjusted the amount of air you blew and the speed with which you moved. You tried several times—each time, more determined than the last—but stopped when you saw your reflection. Then, you noticed that the slightest breeze made the bubble shimmy and wiggle; that sunlight added color; that bubbles bumped into each another and often joined together. And so you stopped chasing. Instead of concentrating on the task of “catching,” you decided to simply enjoy the moment that had been offered to you.

Every September, I’m faced with a challenge that’s similar to that of catching a bubble. I squeeze in that last summer getaway amid the hectic startup of fall schedules and activities. I review a to-do list of projects to complete, yet am inundated with ideas and opportunities that are new and exciting. I say goodbye and hello, goodbye and hello, goodbye and hello—and I’m overwhelmed by the middle of the month. You too?

This year, I decided to stop the chasing and to, instead, look for the reflection and experience the “pop.” It’s working so far—and I’ve even caught a couple of bubbles.

I hope your September is going well and that Literary Mama is the bubble in your mama writer community that brings reflection, color, and a burst of soapy film to your day.

Welcome to our September issue!

Karna

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Columns
Calling Home: And Now the Boy is Twenty by Ona Gritz
Heartsong: Astronomy by Kate Ristau

Creative Nonfiction
An Unrehearsed Song by Lisa Sadikman
The Road from Santiago by Dorothy Rice

Fiction
The Dream House by Jen Michalski

Literary Reflections
Making Time for Quiet by Becki Melchione
Essential Reading: Back to the Books compiled by Abigail Lalonde

Poetry
To a Son, Before His Birth by Kendra Juskus
An Army of One by Lora Keller
Catching the School Bus by Lois Levinson
Audrey on Her Bike in June by Kris Willcox
Visiting Your Child’s Chosen College by Andrea Potos

Profiles
A Conversation with Rachel Harper by Rudri Bhatt Patel
A Conversation with Catherine Newman by Libby Maxey

Reviews
A review of Mother Tongue: My Family’s Globe-Trotting Quest to Dream in Mandarin, Laugh in Arabic, and Sing in Spanish by Valli Jo Porter
A Review of A Piece of Sky, A Grain of Rice: A Memoir in Four Meditations by Wendy Fontaine

Photos by Caroline Hampton, Dorothy Rice, Heather Vrattos, and Shelly Wason