Views and Mechanics Publisher's Note Editor's Note Review of Language and Mind Review of This Is My Best Review of Lost in the Void Crossword (Solution Posted in September. Printable version in pdf format of journal.) May/Jun Crossword Solution Creative Nonfiction Puttin' on My Pearls By Cathryn Braswell My Dinner with Gacy By Andy Martello Mysteries of the Shenandoah Valley By Casey Clabough Getting Lucky By Dale Purvis Poetry Your Mind and You Are Our Sargasso Sea By Lita Sorensen Midsummer By Lita Sorensen Windows By Lita Sorensen Simple Man By B.K. Birch The View from Here By Mary Hudock The Dinner Party By Ruth Mark Fiction It's in the Stars By Linda Gallant Potts An Intimate Evening with Papa By Lance Garrison Ballard The Prank By Terri L. Knight A Pocketful of Starflakes By Leslie Wolter Cover Art Photography by Seth Brown About the Contributors © 2006, River Walk Journal and respective authors and artists. All rights reserved. Do not use or reproduce without permission. River Walk Journal, Inc. Board of Directors Chairman - Elizabeth Ross Vice Chairman - Joseph Koch Secretary/Treasurer - Geri Stock-Ross Editorial Director - Patti Kurtz, DA Literacy Director - Bill Mausteller Policy Director - PA State Rep. Jess Stairs Advisory Board Chairman - Patti Kurtz, DA Asst. Chairman - Dan Lachenman, PhD Samuel Hazo Christopher Leland Edwin Yoder Joseph Bathanti Journal Staff Publisher - Elizabeth Ross Editor-In-Chief - Joseph Koch Sen. Fiction Editor - Patti Kurtz Sen. Poetry Editor - Neeldhara Misra Sen. Creative Nonfiction Editor - Brenda Coxe Contributing Editor - Robert Dittman Publicity Director (PA) - Geri Stock-Ross For information about submissions, visit http://www.riverwalkjournal.org/submission.html. Questions about promotions, subscribers' services, and advertising should be sent to publisher@riverwalkjournal.org. River Walk Journal, Inc. is a non-profit corporation run entirely by volunteers. For information about volunteer opportunities and internships, visit http://www.volunteermatch.org/results/org_detail.jsp?orgid=58479. |
Review of This Is My Best Edited by Retha Powers and Kathy Kiernan This Is My Best - in kind follow-up of Whit Burnett’s 1942 edition – is the compilation edited by Retha Powers and Kathy Kiernan. As observed in the introduction, asking authors what they feel are their best works can be met with varied responses – from refusals because an author can’t choose, to immediate replies with verbose explanations for the choice. Beyond the riches of the works themselves, this anthology includes insights from many authors about why the work was chosen, or how it was created, and so on. These 55 works ranging from poetry, to play, to fiction, to essay, to comic strip create a thumbnail library for any book lover. As Neil LaBute points out in the introduction to his contribution, “I hope you enjoy the read. If you don’t, do not fear – it’s a relatively short play, and you’ll be on to the next author before you know it.” Most selections are short, and allow readers the opportunity to “sample” different styles of writing – possibly encouraging them to search for an extra helping in the form of a full-length work by an author they wouldn’t normally choose on their own. Teachers wishing to introduce their students to a wide variety of writing styles and subject matter should find this volume invaluable. The introductions – entertaining to general readers – can become useful material for extra points on exams, or supplements to course material on creative writing. Understanding the creative process remains a key to learning the art of writing, and many of the insights offered by the authors in this text can become part of that lesson. This Is My Best is a needed addition to the collection of any bibliophile. Powers and Kiernan’s labor of love is a triumph, and an excellent addition to the list of anthologies educators find indispensable. |