From the Editor, December 2017

I’ve started wearing my mother’s and my grandmother’s wedding rings whenever I want to channel their patient, open arms of welcome. Both were known for welcoming the stranger, for pitching in when needed, and for putting aside personal needs for the good of the community. The rings are too big for my fingers—a constant reminder that I have big shoes to fill—but I’ve wrapped enough tape around the bands to ensure that neither slide off and that I remain focused on the task at hand.

Do you have something similar? A talisman you turn to for comfort? A mantra you repeat or an image you study that helps you find your center? Or maybe you’ve discovered a cause or activity in which to emerge yourself in honor of another.

May you find something to embrace this holiday season, and may that something sustain you through the coming year.

Welcome to our December issue.
Karna
Editor-in-Chief

P.S. Stay connected between monthly issues by subscribing to our blog or by following us on social media. See you there!

Columns
Transformation: The Return of Gandalf the Wizard by Katrin Grace
The Sound of a Calling: Annabelle by Julianne Palumbo

CNF
Natural Tan by Sejal Patel

Fiction
This Last Thread by Erin O’Shea

Literary Reflections
A Box Labeled “Tinsel and Lights” by Leeny Sullivan
Essential Reading: Audiobooks compiled by Nerys Copelovitz

Poetry
To Ansel on his 1st Birthday by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Flower Stalk by Ann Tweedy
The Akedah by Joan Manheimer
the wine I have drunk by Heather Wheat
Pink by Shannon Connor Winward

Profiles
A Conversation with Laura McBride by Marianne Lonsdale

Reviews
A Review of Pain Woman Takes Your Keys and Other Essays from a Nervous System by Leslie Contreras Schwartz
Women Bear the Secrets: A Review of ‘Round Midnight by Whitney Archer

Photos by Begumia Studio, Twyla Burger, Elisabeth Liddell, Lisa Jacobson, Rudri Bhatt Patel, Renee Thompson, and Heather Vrattos