Letter from the Managing Editor
November 2013
Dear Reader,
Autumn eases in on Bellingham once again. Fog settles densely each night as the sun sets over Puget Sound. Guttural groans of late-night southbound trains—I hear fog horns on the Pacific coast—sound through sea air, across Bellingham Bay. I walk to the office each morning, through still-dark quiet, over a smattering of newly-fallen leaves—their color, though darker, richer, mimics the gray-orange-gray of pre-dawn streetlights; their sound is that of fog coalescing, falling, pattering across urban detritus. You’ll hear it if you pause for a moment. The rain is coming, but the trending moisture serves largely to accentuate the sunny days—days when locals emerge for a moment of respite at Whatcom Falls Park or Boulevard’s boardwalk. A moment of sunshine, and the long season of rainy gray is, suddenly, worth the wait.
The coffee, like the weather, flows a bit faster and a bit darker this time of year, as do our submissions. We’re all keyed up, reading these thoughtful poems and stories, preparing for upcoming editions, and awaiting our annual poetry and prose competitions. Too, we’re anxiously anticipating AWP’s 2014 conference in Seattle. Hopefully we’ll see many of you there at the Bellingham Review-Western Washington University booth. It’s an exciting time to be living in the Pacific Northwest, especially while engaged in its literary scene.
On behalf of our stalwart Editor-in-Chief, Brenda Miller, our diligent genre editors and readers, and our advisory board, I’d like to express great gratitude toward all who support Bellingham Review and the literary arts. This includes scores of contributors, artists, designers, and other behind-the-scenes workers and creative consultants. And, most importantly, it includes you, our faithful readership. Truly, we appreciate your varied voices and your sustaining interest. We couldn’t do Bellingham Review without you.
We are deeply pleased to welcome you to the third annual online edition of Bellingham Review. Notice the phenomenal work of our featured artist, Bellingham local Terry Nelson. Her seascape paintings appear throughout (she will also make a cameo in our 2014 print edition, alongside local photographer Karen Terrell). Next, delve into the written word. Bellingham Review‘s Anna Lenau speaks with Terry Nelson about her artwork. Western Washington University’s Carol Guess speaks with authors Eva Heisler and Kristina Marie Darling. Carol’s colleague Kristiana Kahakauwila speaks with Michael Kelley about her new book, This is Paradise. I review the profound memoir Wishbone: A Memoir in Fractures by Western graduate Julie Marie Wade (Julie is also a Spring 2014 contributor; please watch for her collaborative essay and interview with Denise Duhamel). And, of course, in keeping with our tradition of delivering literature of palpable quality, we present another collection of poems, stories, and essays so beguiling they invite you to come closer, to look deeper. Please enjoy, and thanks again for your ongoing support of Bellingham Review.
Best Regards,
Lee Olsen
Managing Editor
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