For this editor’s note, I am handing it off to four-time WRJ contributor, Sarah Kilgallon. In addition to sharing pieces from a current project for this issue, Sarah’s work can be found in Issues 2, 6, and 9. Without further ado, let’s begin.

Aaron Lelito, Editor in Chief

͠

Art challenges our ways of thinking, our emotions, and in some instances our beliefs. Whether through a phrase, an image, or a blend of media, art affords us the opportunity to shift our perceptions of the world. This is the gift art affords us each time we allow ourselves to become immersed in a story or a painting.

In this issue of WRJ, many of the writers and artists invite us to contemplate works using collages and layering. Each technique allows the audience the freedom of open interpretation. The three galleries are three separate journeys that pull us in to examine the extraordinary universe of the everyday.

Patrick Moran’s poem, “A Question for Emily,” is a wonderful dive into Emily Dickinson’s work. Pairing lines from Dickinson’s poems with snippets from interviews with other writers, Moran shapes this collage word landscape into a conversation traversing time and genre.

“Running in Place” by Elizabeth Templeman offers a layered experience that is both reflective and enlightening. She speaks of “bearing all of my weight” on the land, an image that evokes a range of human experiences.

The idea of investigating layers is prominent in K.L. Johnston’s “Pollen Abstract.” This macro image exposes a world hiding within a droplet of water. And Ginny O’Brien’s “Earth Rising” delves into color and shapes that build on each other like a kaleidoscope, revealing the beauty and fragility of our natural world.

Since its inception in the spring of 2020, WRJ has been a beacon of creativity. The works are a source of inspiration and influence. I hope you enjoy delving into this issue as much as I have.

Sarah Kilgallon