By Keshni Naicker Washington
“Of all the stories we tell ourselves and others, the most significant follow the words ‘I am . . .’”
To be a writer, poet, or artist is to be an outsider. We give form to our experiences, creating channels and access points for others to connect into in the process. And once a thing has form, we can choose to carry it, put it down, or step beyond it. Belonging is not something we negotiate with the external world, it’s inside us.
To be a writer, poet, or artist is to be brave enough to press the submit button that sends your work into the hands of strangers, risking it being received with resonance or not, and being willing to do that over and over again.
As guest editor of Yellow Arrow Journal ANFRACTUOUS, I had the unique opportunity to be on the other side of that button for the first time. I remembered the sting of the rejections I have received as a writer and so I was apprehensive about the task of choosing between submissions. But the process followed by the team and helmed by Kapua Iao, Editor-in-Chief, laid out a firm path. Due to the volume of submissions, I was soon chin-deep into the “blind” reading process (reading the pieces without any author identification) with Yellow Arrow staff members as we voted on our ‘favorites.’ The high caliber and vast landscape covered by the entries took me on many worthwhile journeys. I remain in awe of the courage and authenticity with which each piece was shared by its creator. The responsibility of making the final choices weighed me down for several days but it also felt right that it should be so difficult.
The Yellow Arrow team’s experience and wisdom certainly smoothed the process and steered my adherence to the theme of the issue—ANFRACTUOUS—and the pieces’ cohesion with each other as we strung them together intentionally to create a progressive and overarching story of the twists and turns of belonging-ness. ANFRACTUOUS starts with the etherealness of a cloud and the search for a home in the opening poem “Homebound” by Sylvia Niederberger and ends with the insight of hindsight on a full life lived in “At Last” by Mary Marca. Along the way we get a peek into the search for belonging that spans not only the continent of North America but across oceans to Africa and Europe and India, as well.
The pieces in this Yellow Arrow Journal collection explore these ideas of belonging-ness and the winding and intricate paths of diverse human experience. Some wrestle with the present-day and some cast a searchlight on the past. Meaning is examined in the land or places we leave or cleave to. And ultimately all included authors are standing apart and forging their own sense of belonging-ness as they bravely own their story and offer it to the world as a signal fire for others between these pages. For this, they (and everyone who submitted) have my sincere admiration and gratitude, and so, too, does the staff of Yellow Arrow Publishing, who give their time to create spaces where these signal fires can exist and breathe and take pride in stewarding new voices into the literary world.
Life is a process of becoming. I believe that the purpose of art and writing is to help us hold a mirror to the world and ourselves.
Paperback and PDF versions are available from the Yellow Arrow bookstore. Discounts are also available (here) if you would like to purchase copies for friends and family (minimum purchase of five). A great opportunity with Christmas just around the corner! You can also search for Yellow Arrow Journal on any e-book device or anywhere you purchase books, including Amazon and most other distribution channels.
And if you are interested in reading what our incredible authors thought of the theme, pick up a copy of the PDF version along with the paperback. Included within the PDF version only are the authors’ and Keshni’s responses to the following question: what/who/where was a turning point toward acceptance/belonging? Take some time and reflect on your own response. Is there a turning point for you?
One final note. With this blog, we are excited to release the prerecorded reading of Anfractuous, “An Exploration of Belonging: The Anfractuous Reading,” on the Yellow Arrow YouTube channel today.
Get the full reading here and please support Yellow Arrow by subscribing to our YouTube channel.
I hope by reading the offerings in this issue and listening to the authors’ voices you will be inspired to reflect on your own identification that follows the words “I am . . .”
It has been an honor to be invited by the Yellow Arrow team to contribute to such a mission in the creation of the ANFRACTUOUS issue. Available now! Go get your copy!
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