Editor Note

Editor’s Note

By Molly Hill

Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting with the gift of speech.

Simonides

Here in the Midwest, winter lingers on. It might be true that the hardest thing about January ending is that February is only just beginning. Because our writers send us work no matter the season, we’re able to offer a February poetry respite, good for anyone who’s waiting patiently for the days to get longer.

We’re feeling lucky that so many young writers and artists from all over the world have discovered our journal and trusted us with their work. And we’re particularly grateful for the ongoing collaboration with talented co-editors and Tonka Writers: Meili Gong, Addie Gill, Anne Malloy, Faith Quist, Isabella Milacnik, Kate Schiltz, Rebecca Schumacher, Priscilla Trinh, and Alexa Vos. Their careful reading, insightful comments and all around willingness to help was instrumental in pulling this issue together.

Enjoy the poems!

Molly Hill
Editor

Editor’s Note

By Molly Hill

The idea is to write it so that people hear it and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart.

– Maya Angelou-

Dear Writers and Readers,

The December 2017, issue is here! Many thanks to Issue Eight benefactor A.K., whose thoughtful donation adds credence to the saying that sometimes miracles are just good people with kind hearts. This generous gift enables us to pay all our contributors as well as a small stipend to our editorial board. And speaking of editorial assistance, — a special thanks to the Minnetonka High School writing center, coordinator Krista Hitchcock, and the young writers there who graciously offered to help with this issue. Enormous gratitude to Alex, Isabella, Faith, Meili, Wyatt, Becca, Alexa, Addie, Kate, Anne, Priscilla, and Katie. Thank you all for the insights, emails, smart questions, and unvarnished opinions, and for getting up so early to talk about writing.

As we move into our third year and eighth issue (plus a few poetry supplements thrown in) it’s possible we’re getting the hang of this online publishing thing. Since this is the time of year to look back, be grateful and even a little reflective, —here’s some wisdom we’ve gleaned and a how-to guide of sorts for putting together an online literary magazine:

Find a great website guru and techie know-everything business like Sumy Designs. Let them keep your site up and running and glitch free and come to the rescue on a regular basis when you try to do things beyond your knowledge and expertise. (Thank you Amy)
Remember those friends of yours that are writers and poets and artists? Be nice to them. Ask them if they’ll let you email them submissions to read and help you find the best stuff. Be glad they have other day jobs and aren’t looking to you for any kind of salary. (Thanks and kudos fellow creatives)
Be humbled and grateful when grants come through, when people hand over checks that cover publication, that allow you to pay all your contributors and your tech support people—and postage. (Looking at you A.K, and C.V., and E.P.)
Get great submitters. Let them find you from all over the U.S. and then from all over the world. Read everything they send you. Write them back, edit with them, let them tell you stories about Singapore, and Australia, and Delhi, and upstate New York, and rural Arkansas. Print out and highlight their essays about homeschooling, applying to college, breaking the law, losing friends, imagining zombies, and missing people that mean a lot to them.
Honor artists, and photographers. Look at all their work; ask them questions about their process, and what they produce. If you don’t happen to be artistic—like at all—learn from them, what they think and how they feel when they’re creating something. Look all over the world, and when a great cover photo comes all the way from New Zealand for your December issue—use it. (Thanks LJ Wolff!)
Get local. Figure out there’s a stellar high school writing center really close by and hope that students there love writing, and editing and talking over submissions. Be amazed when these students agree to meet with you early in the morning before sunrise to help with submissions. (Thanks Tonka Writers!)

Here’s to a new year of reading and writing. Enjoy the issue!

Molly Hill
Editor

Editor’s Note

By Molly Hill

September 2017: Issue Seven

“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” Phillip Pullman

Dear Readers and Writers,

Welcome to the September issue of Blue Marble Review, and the outstanding creative efforts of our contributors. Our submissions continue to increase which means we have the unpleasant job of turning down great work that we just don’t have space for. We remain committed to paying all our contributors, and indebted to ALL of those who submit work. It’s a privilege to work our way through the poems, stories and essays that reflect young writing voices from many parts of the world.

We think creative expression is pretty important. And that the introspection of the writer * or artist eventually translates to a story or painting that becomes a way to outwardly connect with others in the world.

One of this issues contributors—Canadian writer/artist Almas Khan shares her definition of a writer:

*writ·er

/ˈrīdər/

noun

Merely a person with a biological tendency to be fascinated by everything and a desire to outlive themselves (for a truly glorious kind of immortality can be conjured with nothing but ink and pen).
Somebody who aches unbearably with the force of every person they will never be, every place they will never visit, every fictional thought, emotion, and imaginable spectrum of sound and aroma and colour that is too beautiful not to exist outside of their mind.
An individual who is simultaneously a physicist, philosopher, and street magician; for to be a talented writer you must be everything. (Almas Khan)

Thanks Almas, —we think this applies to creators of all kinds. Enjoy Issue Seven!

Molly Hill
Editor

From the Editor

By Molly Hill

It ain’t whatcha write, it’s the way atcha write it.

Jack Kerouac

To our readers and contributors:

By the time one of our issues goes up online we’ve corresponded with a lot of writers and artists, and it’s exciting to see the variety of creative work out there. Because we’re grant supported and have a fixed per-issue budget, we end up (reluctantly) turning down a lot of great work that fits our guidelines. We hope reading through an issue of Blue Marble is a catalyst for writers and artists to create and continue sending their work out into the world.

Many thanks to our grant givers, benefactors and cheerleaders whose unflagging support continues to allow us to pay all of our contributors.

Our Issue Six creatives write about a range of topics: travel, love, loss, grief, race, identity, Facebook, and more—but it’s the way they write that makes their work stand out. There’s a good mix of humor, insight and poignancy in this issue and we hope you’ll return frequently to our site to sample the prose, poetry and art on these virtual pages. The contributors in this issue range from 13-21 years old and live in the U.S. as well as England, Ireland, South Korea, Singapore and the Philippines. So glad all of you found us!

Molly Hill

Editor

Editor’s Note

By Molly Hill

Issue Five: March 2017

“I believe art is utterly important. It is one of the things that could save us.”

Mary Oliver

We’re always on the lookout for art, creativity and inspiration and it’s exciting to see it in so many places. This winter here in the Twin Cities, the St. Paul Almanac partners with Metro Transit to unveil IMPRESSIONS, a collection of poetry and art on city buses and trains.

Attending the AWP writing conference in DC this January, enabled us to visit the Dupont Underground —a ‘subterranean arts and cultural organization’— including fantastic urban art and light installations in a below ground tunnel system beneath DC’s Dupont Circle.

On a spring break trip to Miami we discovered Wynwood Walls, a stunning display of colorful street art on storefronts, warehouse walls, doors and in the galleries of Miami’s eclectic Wynwood neighborhood.

We’ve been following from afar @BOTUBookFairies, a group that leaves books in London’s Underground stations and trains, and @piccadilly_west, a source of daily quotes, poetry and inspiration in the London tube stations. It’s exciting to know that just by paying attention, art and creativity can be found pretty much everywhere.

Which brings us to our March issue. This issue’s creative contributors span the globe, range in age from 13-21 and write about coping, communicating and culture. There’s something about these young artists and writers that enables them to get directly to the heart of things and express themselves with voices that ring true in their humor, pain, empathy and reflection.

And we’re going to keep right on being GRATEFUL to those donors who issue by issue enable us to pay our contributors and believe right along with us, that art just might be one of the things that could save us.

Molly Hill

From the Editor

By Molly Hill

Dear Writers and Readers,

It’s been pretty gray and slushy in our part of the world. Monochromatic. Lots of old snow and black ice—typical January. Not to worry though, we’re bringing you a collection of poems this month that’s arriving just in time.

While we don’t have theme issues, we’d like to dedicate this particular issue to the concept of escapism: the tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities, especially by seeking entertainment or engaging in fantasy. (Merriam-Webster)

There’s so much change happening this month, and for those of us in the U.S., well we’re having a significant “administrative” change. It’s hard to know how to be and lots of suggestions: mindful, resilient, resistant—the list goes on.

Enter our ten creative poets and one incomparable artist. Farah, Vivian, Maya, Arah, Melody, Emily, Katrin, Moira, Peter, and Rachana—thank you for your wit, vulnerability and imaginative poems. And cover artist Karen Ahn (karenahn.com) sent us artwork saturated in color, magic and talent. This is a slimmer issue but we think you’ll agree there are gems here. Our gratitude to these contributors and to all of our submitters. The future looks to be in good hands.

Enjoy the escape.

Molly Hill

Editor