For this first blog post, we asked our editors to share a little about how they are feeling right now, as we launch this new venture!
Keren Taylor:
We have dreamed of this for many years – an online space to showcase creative voices from the WriteGirl community. Lines & Breaks describes how writing looks on the page, but it also describes what it feels like to be creating together, especially these past nearly two years while we have all been working remotely and gathering online for workshops, meetings and events. I’m so excited for this first issue. I keep looking at it and re-reading each of the pieces, rolling them over in my mind the way you examine a new discovery, seeing new details the closer you look. It’s been exhilarating to work on this project with the entire team, and I’m especially grateful for the calm and refreshing design from Sara Apelkvist, our longtime designer here at WriteGirl. The dream is real! Lines & Breaks is live!
Allison Deegan:
Guiding and observing the creative development of WriteGirl’s teen writers is an enormous privilege. When they are in dialog with their readers on a topic as resonant as the hometown we all share, the pleasure is all the more deep and memorable. We have lived through an extraordinary period the last two years and the power of writing can only aid in our recovery and increase the pathways we can use to connect with one another. This inaugural issue, which will be the first of many to come, I’m certain, serves as a document of our resilience, our community and our extraordinary creativity. Bravo to all of our writers and to the team that brought this journal to fruition.
Katie Geyer:
Even after being involved with WriteGirl for nearly a decade, I still get inspired and energized by our teens’ creativity and courage. They remind us that even in times of turbulence and uncertainty, a journal can be our safe place to unlock our determination, our passions, our sense of humor and our resiliency. From writing about a pandemic from the point of view of a vaccine, to exploring family identity through citrus trees, these bold voices remind us of the power of stories to connect us all. Congrats to all of the young authors featured in Lines & Breaks!
Kirsten Giles:
I’m so excited to see the work of WriteGirl expanding outward to reach readers and writers and lovers of language around the world. Beyond creating prompts and experiments that ignite creativity, I love looking at an early draft and adjusting my “zoom lens” – either to see the tiny spaces between words, or to see what will connect the writer and the reader in the landscape of human experience. Thank you to the entire team that brought this project to life, as I know there will be sparks of magic in every issue.
Annlee Ellingson:
An avid reader and a professional writer, I’ve gotten to combine both passions as an editor at WriteGirl, first on the organization’s print anthologies This Moment and Sound Generation, and now on the dynamic online literary journal Lines & Breaks. There’s no greater pleasure than mining writing by WriteGirl teens and alums for the gems in each – some scattered on the surface, others buried deep within; polishing them into jewels; and placing them in a setting where they can sparkle and shine. Thank you, Keren and WriteGirl, for this inspiring opportunity, and to our inaugural authors for sharing your dazzling ideas and words with us.
Sofía Aguilar:
WriteGirl readers, I am so excited that you’re finally able to read the inaugural issue of Lines & Breaks! Back in September when Keren asked me to hop onto the editorial team and spearhead the creation of WriteGirl’s first-ever lit journal from scratch, I truly didn’t know what was going to be in store. But I’m incredibly proud of all that the editorial team has accomplished these past few months, from compiling submissions to, after many, many weeks, deciding on a name for the journal. Lines & Breaks has been a challenging but most rewarding effort this year, and I’m excited for you to read the powerful words of our incredible teens, alums and special guests. Welcome to Lines & Breaks!