Archived Issue: Summer 2013

Letter from the Editors

The Summer 2013 edition of VoiceCatcher: a journal of women’s voices & visions takes the reader on one wild ride after another – from the musical genius of a canary to the lives of sperm; from an elderly dad in a nursing home to another father drinking whiskey while driving 120 miles per hour. Once again, we were dazzled by the creative expressions and diversity of topics shown through our contributors’ prose, poetry, art and young voices. Brava!

We were fortunate to have two guest editors join us for this issue.

Our prose genius, Liz Prato, took on the plethora of fiction and non-fiction submissions with a huge smile. She is an acclaimed teacher and author whose sharp eye and keen sense of timing, as well as excellent editing skills, helped us create a prose section that you are sure to enjoy.

Tonia Twigger McConnell lent us her expertise in all things artistically beautiful, whether that meant a brilliant oil painting, subdued watercolor or contrasting photography. Her many years as a teacher, traveler and photographer have given her a vast collage of knowledge. She has edited a lovely gallery for your eyes to feast on.

We also welcomed our new Young Voices editor, Donna Prinzmetal. Donna brings to the table both her fine skills as a writing teacher and as an award-winning poet. Our Young Voices submitters gained the benefit of her careful and encouraging assistance, while learning what it really takes to become a published writer. We thank them all for making VoiceCatcher even better.

Finally, we are grateful to the inspirational design work of Deb Scott who has turned each edition of our journal into a work of art. Without her technical expertise we never would have tackled an online format that provides a place for local women – from the newly skilled to the experienced pro – to share their stories and connect to other writers and thinkers from a variety of backgrounds.

As editors, we are proud that every submission was read and responded to with care, whether or not it was accepted. We look forward to seeing those that were not included either return to us in an edited version or find a home elsewhere.

Finally, we are delighted with the choices we made for this issue and anticipate sharing many more of your voices and visions in the future.

Yours,

Lisa Maier, Carolyn Martin, Darlene Pagán, Celina Wigle
VoiceCatcher Co-editors

Poetry Rich, strong, poignant, humorous and inspiring. We’ve caught twenty never-before-published poems by sixteen unique voices.		Prose Seven talented women search for themselves in their bodies, their family, themselves.		Artwork Established dynamos and aspiring voices add colorful visions to our third issue.		Young Voices Language leaps off the page in the poetry and prose of five young authors who delight in sensory detail.		Contributors Meet the authors and artists who make this Summer 2013 edition a rich, varied and engaging experience.

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS POETRY         Abandoned Church by Tanya Jarvik         Commencement by Kelly Running         Depoe Bay by Wendy Thompson         Directive by Cristina White         Hawk Moth by Wendy Thompson         How to Recycle Love Letters by Jennifer Dorner         I Swapped a '74 Mustang for This by Jennifer Fulford         Polaroid of My Mother by Cindy Stewart-Rinier         Lover, Molester, and Maidens (Haibun) by Margaret Chula         Savory by Pat Phillips West         Seascape by Marjorie Power         Suspended by Grace Kuhns         The Hand-Off by Pattie Palmer-Baker         The Ride by Linda Ferguson         The Ticking Shirt by Tricia Knoll         Three Facts about Sperm by Ursula Whitcher         Three True Stories by Penelope Scambly Schott         Today at the Library by Pat Phillips West         Trapped Birds by Grace Kuhns         You, who will be alive and reading after I'm gone by Penelope Scambly Schott PROSE         After the World Ends by Kait Heacock         Something Permanent by Ashley-Renée Cribbins         Your Hand at Your Throat by Karen Guth         Black Sharpie by Anne Gudger         Diagnosis by Helen Sinoradzki         For He's a Jolly Good Fellow by Laura Stanfill         Breathing Underwater by Valerie Wagner ART         Unity by Anne John         Rearguard by Anne John         Speculation by Anne John         Wire by Jocelyn White         Taitian Trio by Nani Chesire         Catch Your Breath by Nani Chesire YOUNG VOICES         We Will Read to You by Rebecca Cleveland-Stout         Strawberry Party by Natalie Lerner         A Young Night by Clara Beaumont         Beach Wanderer by Isabella Waldron         Light and Dark by Colette Au CONTRIBUTORS