Views and Mechanics Publisher's Note Editor's Note Review of African Psycho Review of The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid Film Review of "Judith Butler: Philosophical Encounters of the Third Kind" Writing Contest Results Creative Nonfiction Back Pain...Who Cares? By Michael D. Burg Knit Two Together By Jo L. Gerrard Skin Odyssey By Holly Leigh Jacobson Leaves in the Wind By Molly Molloy Hydroglyphics By Phaedra Greenwood Poetry Indiana Poem By Michael Lee Johnson Inspire Me, Ms. Muse By Tony Zurlo A Poem Forgot By Gabrielle Rabinowitz Yours By Sheila McLaughlin Sikorski Confetti By Alan Girling Correction: Drive Me Home Again By Anne Cammon Fiction Scaffold By Joseph Bathanti For the Taking By Anne Leigh Parrish The Artistic Impulse By Johanna Lipford Justifiable Brew Aside By Barbara Anton Stopping at the DQ By Susan White Cover Art Bright Red By Dee Rimbaud About the Contributors © 2007, 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 - Vacant 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 Senior Editor - Patti Kurtz Senior Editor - Neeldhara Misra Copyeditor - Kathy Skaggs Blog Contributing Editor - Maggie Koster Education Blog Contributing Editor - Jordan Wirfs-Brock Publicity Director (PA) - Geri Stock-Ross For information about submissions, visit http://www.riverwalkjournal.org/subs.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 VolunteerMatch. |
Editor's Note One of these years I’ll be blasé’ about writing about our anniversary issue…but it isn’t going to be this year. I’m really pleased because we were able to run our fiction and creative non-fiction contest again, and got a slew of great writing. We want to thank everybody who sent in their work for the contest. Taking the time to put oneself out there isn’t easy, and the staff and our members appreciate it. Honestly, I wish we could give $500 to everybody. This issue’s poetry offerings include Tony Zurlo’s, “Inspire Me, Ms. Muse”. His poem is a deceptively simple family poem, dealing with the complexities of father’s domestic struggle to be the best he can with charm and simplicity. Gabrielle Rabinowitz’s,”A Poem Forgot” explores the unique power of poetic language to crystallize and recombine the chaos in ourselves into something uniquely flawed and uniquely beautiful at the same time. Michael Lee Johnson’s “Indiana Poem” is a solid travel poem; about the land of the poet’s boyhood and his mental journey back through. We also have Allan Girling bringing us, “Confetti”, a tight, tense look at the aftermath of a relationship. This issue’s poems are rounded out by Sheila McLaughlin Sikorski’s poem “Yours”. Her piece underlines a simple truth, often repeated, but still always worth repeating: never, never, ever give up For fiction we have Joseph Bathanti’s story “Scaffold”, Anne Leigh Parrish’s story “For the Taking” and our fiction contest winners. Bathanti’s story is a strange trip, but its worth it. What would you do if you worked a job every day that posed very real danger to your life and limbs and at the same time had to wrestle with a very painful family secret? Would you do as well as Bathanti’s characters? Parrish’s story is in a similar vein. How far does loyalty to lovers, to family extend in the face of desperation, of the desire to change your life for the better? It might just stretch far enough to move a piano. Our contest winner for fiction is “The Artistic Impulse”. This piece offers catacombs and relationships, hand in hand. Could Thanatos and Eros more closely linked than people realize? Second place goes to “Justifiable Brew Aside” by Barbara Anton. This piece presents a policeman’s ethical quandary: “What is my duty?” vs. “What is Just?” Third place is Susan White’s story, “Stopping at the Dairy Queen”. The story presents a scenario that I wish wasn’t still apropos in the 21st century, a child seeing tacit racism for the first time. For CNF this issue we have Michael D. Burg sharing his story,” Back Pain, Who Cares?” It’s a tale about one doctor’s discussion of the common leveler for everyone: pain; and his work toward “healing himself” We also have Jo L. Gerrard with “Knit Two Together”. The piece is a family “yarn” about the ties that can pull a family apart, and then maybe stitch them together again. Our contest winner for creative non-fiction is “Skin Odyssey” by Holly Leigh Jacobson. This story’s author went through something truly harrowing, and has been gracious enough and courageous enough to share it with us in profound detail. She does this skillfully, without being maudlin: or giving in to despair; she lets herself be vulnerable without flinching. Just read it. Our second place winner, Molly Molloy’s “Leaves in the Wind” was written a while ago, but places the immediate aftermath of hurricane Katrina in context with what is, and isn’t being done a year later. Third place goes to Phaedra Greenwood’s piece “Hydroglyphics”. The piece does a great job of presenting a fresh take on water as metaphor for wholeness, and making the connection between science and a more spiritual worldview This issue is a very heady brew. Sip or quaff, doesn’t matter, just enjoy. *** Editor’s Note: Four other stories receive honorable mention from us. Honorable mentions for CNF go to “One Foot and Then the Other” by Greg Coykendall and “Home” by Marion Agnew. Honorable mention for fiction goes to: Louise Kantro’s story “Body Warmth” and “The Larchmont Campaign” by Zain Deane. These pieces will appear in our July/August issue, so make sure to stop by. Also: in our last issue, Anne Cammon’s poem, “Drive Me Home Again” was misprinted, and the corrected version appears in this issue. Joseph Koch |