By Raychelle Heath
My first contact with Yellow Arrow Journal was as a submitter. I have had two poems published within the journal, in the issues ANFRACTUOUS and UpSpring. I also have had the opportunity to teach the workshop Exploring Embodiment: The Ars Poetica in 2022; my Restorative Writing workshop series starts in January 2023—I hope to see you there. I really love what Yellow Arrow Publishing stands for. So when I received the email asking if I would be interested in guest editing PEREGRINE, Vol. VII, No. 2 (fall 2022), I was incredibly excited and delighted. In fact, I almost wondered if it was a mistake. But it wasn’t, and I was more than happy to say yes to going on this journey of curation with the Yellow Arrow team.
The journey of creating PEREGRINE started with me trying to figure out what it was that I wanted to say with this issue. And it just so happened that I was at a point in my creative exploration where I was thinking about language. I was thinking about how we use it, what languages we prioritize, and just what words do on a page. And while that may sound kind of basic for a writer (of course writers think about what words we’re going to use) this felt like a deeper question about connections and community. I wanted to explore what happens beneath the words we use, and editing this issue gave me the opportunity to do that and to ask others about their ideas around the languages that they use, don’t use, and why.
While the seed for PEREGRINE was a question around language, other things came to light as the issue came together. Submissions moved beyond exploring language and questioned who gets to speak. It was so beautiful to be able to read the voices of writers who were grappling with the question of how they had been silenced in certain ways and how they had found their voice again. There were also questions of identity that came up around language and how we express ourselves, not just in words but in how we express ourselves to the world through our bodies, our gender expression, and our relationships. I could not have asked for a more profound experience than being able to read through the variety of explorations of the PEREGRINE theme found in our submissions.
I learned a lot from being at the helm of this curation, one of the most important things being how necessary it is to work with a great team. And what I can say is that the Yellow Arrow team was with me every step of the way as this issue was coming together. From the initial selection of pieces to the final curation and outreach, to the marketing, down to picking the stunning cover that went along with this issue, this team has been an absolute joy to work with. I am so proud of PEREGRINE and what it is offering to the world. I believe that this issue truly gives voice to those of us who are trying to find out who we are and what we want to say.
With PEREGRINE, there are beautiful explorations of homelands; for example, these lines from Kathryn Reese’s “Glasshouse Mountains”: “The Maroochy gives herself to the sea. I trace her shimmering, seeking the mangrove-lined bend my grandfather fished . . .” There are explorations of identity like in Blaise Allysen Kearsley’s “Words to Call a Sweater.” The lines, “You believed in make-believe; the pretend transformed you into something you wanted to see, different from what was there,” remind me of my own time of wishing I could be something else. There are spaces where family ties are explored, such as in Rina Malagayo Alluri’s “Kitchen tales,” where she unpacks her relationship with language through her relationship with her mother: “When I ask why she never taught me, / she explains I was stubborn, / only responded in English / it is so painful . . .”
And there are just beautiful moments of wandering, like in Patricia Falkenburg’s poem “Roaming.” where the lines “no place / in midair / to stay / where we should / trust / come or go / on our own / wings only” invite us to fly away for a spell.
If you haven’t already had a chance to dive into this issue and really allow it to give you a nice warm hug, I hope that you will get a copy. From the cover to the last page, this issue really is a stunning exploration of what it means to be on this human journey.
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). 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 don’t forget to join us for the reading of Fly to Me, Speak to Me: A PEREGRINE reading on December 15 at 8:00 pm EST; let us know you’re coming at fb.me/e/2uBha3laI.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to PEREGRINE and to the many wonderful submitters whose pieces we couldn’t fit into this issue. We look forward to seeing you on December 15.
Raychelle Heath holds a BA in languages from Winthrop University and an MFA in poetry from the University of South Carolina. She uses her poetry and her podcast to tell the multifaceted stories of black women in the world. Raychelle also explores her experiences with the culturally rich communities that she has encountered in her travels. Her work has been published by Travel Noire, Fourth Wave, Yellow Arrow Journal, The Brazen Collective, and Community Building Art Works. She currently works as curriculum director, sanctuary coach, and facilitator for the Unicorn Authors Club. She also regularly facilitates for The World We Want workshop.
*****
Yellow Arrow Publishing is a nonprofit supporting women writers through publication and access to the literary arts. We recently revamped and restructured its Yellow Arrow Journal subscription plan to include two levels. Do you think you are an Avid Reader or a Literary Lover? Find out more about the discounts and goodies involved at yellowarrowpublishing.com/store/yellow-arrow-journal-subscription.
You can support us as we AWAKEN in a variety of ways: purchase one of our publications from the Yellow Arrow bookstore, join our newsletter, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter or subscribe to our YouTube channel. Donations are appreciated via PayPal (staff@yellowarrowpublishing.com), Venmo (@yellowarrowpublishing), or US mail (PO Box 102, Glen Arm, MD 21057). More than anything, messages of support through any one of our channels are greatly appreciated.