Spring 2025
Issue 37
Dear Readers and Writers:
…the times they are a changin’… as Bob Dylan wrote in one of his songs, —finally something we can all agree on. Now if we could only figure out what to DO in the midst of so much change.
Maybe read some stories?
Since our website first came online nearly ten years ago we’ve proudly been collectors of creative work, and when we check the submission queue every morning we’re delighted, impressed, surprised, moved… but never disappointed. The student work we receive not only reflects life fron the point of view of students 13-22 years old, but also mirrors the culture in the wider world. It’s a pleasure to read writing and appreciate art from the thrivers as well as the survivors, and our current issue is no exception.
Some highlights:
>We’re pleased to publish poems from student writers Juan Cruz and Luke Ross, both students at Port of Los Angeles High School, a school that sends us so much student writing on a regular basis— thank you POLAHS staff!
>This issue includes writing from Moseka Nityia who describes himself as: a proud Maasai, a patriotic Kenyan, and a true Pan-Africanist with a global outlook. A passionate writer and poet, his work beautifully weaves together themes of humanness, justice, and African identity, capturing the rich and complex realities of life in a developing world. Check out his powerful writing in the poetry section: Two Times Dumb, Never
>We’re fortunate to have artwork from the talented Mike Wheeler—> a fine-art photographer from Ilorin, Nigeria, whose work explores identity, cultural reflection, and the human experience. Such a privilege to share work from our contributors all over the globe.
>From the North Carolina School of the Arts, Chaeeun Yoo sent a thoughtful reflection on Toni Morrison’s Sula, that’s included in our Book Review section.
>To see an example of a poem we loved on the first read through, go to Harvard student Anna Popnikolova’s Water Theorem. Same goes for the lovely Faces of the Swan, submitted by Sophia Campbell.
> Writer Nicole Hirt is an example of a contributor whose work we’ll publish more than once. She has a flash fiction story in our March issue (Caroline Liddell) and will have another flash story (All that Glitters) in our June online issue.
>Personal essays are among our favorites to read, and our Spring Issue includes Henry Bourtin’s experience on a dinosaur dig in Chasing Bones, as well as a piece from Swiss teenager Emilia Lun, who shared her story of climbing Kiliminjaro at age FIFTEEN.
Spending a lot of time scrolling are we? Pennsylvania writer James DeGraaf reflects on an alternative in Go Stare at a Wall.
>In our fiction section Californian Paddy Dwyer sent us the entertaining Almost Surfing, Malaysian medical student Chloe Lim gave us The Memory Store, Netherlands writer Zanchao Hao penned Different Moons, Different Skies, and Korean author Jiyoo Choi added a well crafted story— Eight Summers Ago.
We’ve tried and we can’t pick favorites.
Things to note:
We’re grateful to be continually flooded with submissions, and apologetic that it can take up to two months for us to reply. Working on this.
We’ve taken on a few new editors (welcome!) from the Minnetonka Writing Center here in Minnesota to help with the increasing workload, and continue to rely on our steady cadre of regular reviewers— some who have been with us nearly ten years.
Sumy Designs continues to save us from ourselves by maintaining our website faithfully, enabling fresh writing to go up on our site on a regular basis.
We continue to recommend stories as a means of connection, empathy, and a way to relate to others in a time of so much upheaval and change.
Enjoy our current issue, and watch for our ANTHOLOGY VOLUME TWO coming in real life book form this spring! It’ll be available on our site and pretty much everywhere, details to come on our Instagram.
Molly Hill
www.bluemarblereview.com