CREEK ROAD GANG
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Thoughts from the Editor:
Summer 2011
copyright 2011
With this issue, we complete our first two years.
Around this time in 2009, I was working hard to learn as much as I could about designing, setting up and maintaining a website. I had one page, holding our place, announcing that Creek Road Gang was coming soon. I remember I put something in the text about preparing to be surprised.
Quite frankly, although I had lots of ideas, I didn’t know exactly what was to come, and I ended up more surprised, probably, than anyone.
For instance, I didn’t know a lot about setting up pages of a website. I had no idea what a WYSIWYG program was, and, when I found out it meant, "What you see is what you get," I figured everything would work out. I had no idea how many ways a word processing program might conflict with the website’s software. I didn’t know that the software would take offense at too many spaces inserted in a document. I had no idea how to resize a photograph, and wasn’t even sure if I needed to upload it or download it to get it onto a page. I didn't realize how long it might take to open a page with lots of photos. I couldn’t tell a widget from a fidget, and the phrase “insert code” meant nothing to me.
Over two hundred pages later (yes, really, we have that many pages on this site), I’ve learned some things, and am still learning. I’m not a computer wizard, but I’ve developed a little more technical proficiency, which has made life a lot easier in getting each new issue up and running.
I’ve learned a lot more about writing and editing – about the way words work, and sometimes don’t, about the importance of a writer’s voice, of appreciation for different styles and approaches. But more important, I’ve developed endless respect and gratitude for the writers and photographers who have contributed their hard work and life experiences to this endeavor. When I needed something and let others know, someone has always come through to help out, whether through consulting, technical hints, providing a needed photo, coming up with a last-minute additional story, sending some more poems, writing a review, or simply providing emotional support. That is an immense gift in my life.
And then there are the surprises. For instance, I clicked on a URL that popped up in my web statistics, and discovered that someone had used a translation program to convert my story "Wisdom Teeth" into Polish. (Was the expression "wisdom teeth" translated literally, or did the program make clear I was talking about third molars? I have no idea!)
I’ve since discovered that lots of our stories are being translated into other languages. People from a variety of countries – including Brazil, India, Russia, Indonesia, the UK, France, Belgium, Germany, Japan, Ireland, Mexico, Australia, Canada, Switzerland – have visited with Creek Road Gang. So, no matter where our individual writers reside, and whether or not the economic climate is friendly to vacation budgets, the writing itself is traveling around the world.
In fact, we are lucky this month to have a writer new to us, Brian Hudson, who resides in Australia. He has graciously allowed us to share with you some excerpts from his book, ‘Whe’ Yu’ From?’ – although, as you’ll see from these passages from his memoir, there are many ways to answer that question, beginning with Hudson's boyhood in England.
We also have two reviews in this issue, and two items of fiction – a suprising short story by Virginia Strong Newlin, and a preview of my comic murder mystery, Off Center.
I’ve always felt that summer calls for a healthy dose of poetry. When you dip into the work of the five poets we feature in this issue, you’ll see from the varied styles and approaches that poetry is alive and well.
We have a large complement of autobiographical stories, some humorous, some more serious, some combining both touches. I’ve resisted the idea of having a theme for each issue, because it seems to me that we all encounter a multiplicity of themes in our daily life, no matter the season. And yet, sometimes a theme arises, at least for some of the offerings. In this Summer issue, for example, we have several stories in which the characters spend at least some of their time on a beach. Find them, and see if you can make an argument that the writers are exploring the same theme. Maybe you can; maybe you can’t.
And we have some great photos, including a contribution from Tom Burke and one from Christine A. Dawson, who rose to the occasion and answered my desperate request for pictures to accompany Barbara Fryrear's story in this issue.
We all see things in different ways. And, even standing right next to each other, eyes open, with heads facing the same direction, we may see quite different things. One of the pleasures for me in reading the stories, reviews, and poems we publish is that doors open, and I am able to take on different perspectives, see more, understand more, appreciate more. My world becomes larger.
I can argue, quite convincingly, I think, that our writers hit home, no matter where the reader’s home is, and they do it again and again. I am so grateful for that.
The psychologist Erik Erikson believed that we need to look over our lives, to see what we’ve done and make meaning of it. I might quibble with his ideas on timing, but the idea that examining life and finding what’s of meaning – that's something I agree is so valuable, for ourselves, and for those with whom we share our stories. So let's all keep being who we are, doing what we do, and sharing what has meaning for us.
Here’s to enjoying our summer issue, to having an enriching summer of discovery, to capping our first two years with some spectacular writing and photography, and, also, to the new adventures to come this fall when we launch Year Three of Creek Road Gang!
Around this time in 2009, I was working hard to learn as much as I could about designing, setting up and maintaining a website. I had one page, holding our place, announcing that Creek Road Gang was coming soon. I remember I put something in the text about preparing to be surprised.
Quite frankly, although I had lots of ideas, I didn’t know exactly what was to come, and I ended up more surprised, probably, than anyone.
For instance, I didn’t know a lot about setting up pages of a website. I had no idea what a WYSIWYG program was, and, when I found out it meant, "What you see is what you get," I figured everything would work out. I had no idea how many ways a word processing program might conflict with the website’s software. I didn’t know that the software would take offense at too many spaces inserted in a document. I had no idea how to resize a photograph, and wasn’t even sure if I needed to upload it or download it to get it onto a page. I didn't realize how long it might take to open a page with lots of photos. I couldn’t tell a widget from a fidget, and the phrase “insert code” meant nothing to me.
Over two hundred pages later (yes, really, we have that many pages on this site), I’ve learned some things, and am still learning. I’m not a computer wizard, but I’ve developed a little more technical proficiency, which has made life a lot easier in getting each new issue up and running.
I’ve learned a lot more about writing and editing – about the way words work, and sometimes don’t, about the importance of a writer’s voice, of appreciation for different styles and approaches. But more important, I’ve developed endless respect and gratitude for the writers and photographers who have contributed their hard work and life experiences to this endeavor. When I needed something and let others know, someone has always come through to help out, whether through consulting, technical hints, providing a needed photo, coming up with a last-minute additional story, sending some more poems, writing a review, or simply providing emotional support. That is an immense gift in my life.
And then there are the surprises. For instance, I clicked on a URL that popped up in my web statistics, and discovered that someone had used a translation program to convert my story "Wisdom Teeth" into Polish. (Was the expression "wisdom teeth" translated literally, or did the program make clear I was talking about third molars? I have no idea!)
I’ve since discovered that lots of our stories are being translated into other languages. People from a variety of countries – including Brazil, India, Russia, Indonesia, the UK, France, Belgium, Germany, Japan, Ireland, Mexico, Australia, Canada, Switzerland – have visited with Creek Road Gang. So, no matter where our individual writers reside, and whether or not the economic climate is friendly to vacation budgets, the writing itself is traveling around the world.
In fact, we are lucky this month to have a writer new to us, Brian Hudson, who resides in Australia. He has graciously allowed us to share with you some excerpts from his book, ‘Whe’ Yu’ From?’ – although, as you’ll see from these passages from his memoir, there are many ways to answer that question, beginning with Hudson's boyhood in England.
We also have two reviews in this issue, and two items of fiction – a suprising short story by Virginia Strong Newlin, and a preview of my comic murder mystery, Off Center.
I’ve always felt that summer calls for a healthy dose of poetry. When you dip into the work of the five poets we feature in this issue, you’ll see from the varied styles and approaches that poetry is alive and well.
We have a large complement of autobiographical stories, some humorous, some more serious, some combining both touches. I’ve resisted the idea of having a theme for each issue, because it seems to me that we all encounter a multiplicity of themes in our daily life, no matter the season. And yet, sometimes a theme arises, at least for some of the offerings. In this Summer issue, for example, we have several stories in which the characters spend at least some of their time on a beach. Find them, and see if you can make an argument that the writers are exploring the same theme. Maybe you can; maybe you can’t.
And we have some great photos, including a contribution from Tom Burke and one from Christine A. Dawson, who rose to the occasion and answered my desperate request for pictures to accompany Barbara Fryrear's story in this issue.
We all see things in different ways. And, even standing right next to each other, eyes open, with heads facing the same direction, we may see quite different things. One of the pleasures for me in reading the stories, reviews, and poems we publish is that doors open, and I am able to take on different perspectives, see more, understand more, appreciate more. My world becomes larger.
I can argue, quite convincingly, I think, that our writers hit home, no matter where the reader’s home is, and they do it again and again. I am so grateful for that.
The psychologist Erik Erikson believed that we need to look over our lives, to see what we’ve done and make meaning of it. I might quibble with his ideas on timing, but the idea that examining life and finding what’s of meaning – that's something I agree is so valuable, for ourselves, and for those with whom we share our stories. So let's all keep being who we are, doing what we do, and sharing what has meaning for us.
Here’s to enjoying our summer issue, to having an enriching summer of discovery, to capping our first two years with some spectacular writing and photography, and, also, to the new adventures to come this fall when we launch Year Three of Creek Road Gang!
~Kate Lydon
