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Hawaii Writers Guild's Literary ReviewManaging Editor: Laura Burkhart
Editorial Staff: Joy Fisher, Jan Asch, Bob Lupo, Michael Foley, Jim Gibbons, Duncan Dempster |
We are pleased to announce the inaugural issue of our
Online Literary Review
As a child, I would soak in the bathtub with my sister while my mother sat perched on the edge of the tub reading to us from our favorite collection of short stories. This was my introduction to a world beyond the one in which I lived, and the beginning of my love of the written word.
However you came to love the written word, I hope this inaugural edition of Latitudes will take you to a world beyond the one in which you live. The purpose of this literary journal is to showcase the best writing of Hawaii Writers Guild members. By publishing Latitudes, we hope to attract others to the Guild so more writers can participate in, and benefit from, this professional community.
To create this masterpiece, we put out a call to our 65 members, asking them to submit their best writing for consideration. More than one-third of our members submitted works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and drama for a total of 52 submissions. A dedicated team of volunteers reviewed the writing and selected the sixteen pieces that you are about to appreciate.
Special thanks go out to Laura Burkhart who tirelessly led the effort to see this project from inception to publication. Kudos also to the other volunteers who offered their time, creativity and skills: Duncan Dempster, Joy Fisher, Michael Foley, Jim Gibbons, Bob Lupo and Jan Asch.
Please enjoy, and may this become one of your favorite collections!
Diann Wilson
President, Hawaii Writers Guild
However you came to love the written word, I hope this inaugural edition of Latitudes will take you to a world beyond the one in which you live. The purpose of this literary journal is to showcase the best writing of Hawaii Writers Guild members. By publishing Latitudes, we hope to attract others to the Guild so more writers can participate in, and benefit from, this professional community.
To create this masterpiece, we put out a call to our 65 members, asking them to submit their best writing for consideration. More than one-third of our members submitted works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and drama for a total of 52 submissions. A dedicated team of volunteers reviewed the writing and selected the sixteen pieces that you are about to appreciate.
Special thanks go out to Laura Burkhart who tirelessly led the effort to see this project from inception to publication. Kudos also to the other volunteers who offered their time, creativity and skills: Duncan Dempster, Joy Fisher, Michael Foley, Jim Gibbons, Bob Lupo and Jan Asch.
Please enjoy, and may this become one of your favorite collections!
Diann Wilson
President, Hawaii Writers Guild
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Fiction
His-N-Hers Story by Cheryl Ann Farrell I last saw Esther at Ted’s funeral. Esther’s brother, Ted, had been my best friend growing up. They were especially close. In high school, Esther used to tag along with us everywhere. During the summer, we used to skinny dip in the lake, have picnics (Read More) 
Solomon an excerpt from Kimsey Rise — A Family of Farmers by Cecilia Johansen From the early years, a strong militia had been formed in each of the thirteen colonies for protection on the wilderness border in the west. After the French and Indian War, Colonel George Washington became the commander of Virginia’s militia. (Read More) 
The Assassination An excerpt from Crazy Fates by Bob Lupo “This means we’re going heavy into Vietnam,” Jimmy Hackett says, his grey eyes taking in the unsaid, taking a pulse on the future. “LBJ has stronger views on that struggle than JFK,” he pauses, “had.” He leans forward. “Johnson’s a hawk, in bed with the Joint Chiefs and a true believer in the Domino Theory.” He points to Tony Lucarelli, his buddy. “You and me may have to learn to speak Canadian.” He laughs. (Read More) 
The Pond by Janet Carpenter “C’mon, Lani! It’ll be fun!” Nathan shouted as he got out of the pick-up truck, slamming the door and running toward the pond, taking off his shirt and throwing it down as he went.Lani sat in the passenger side, arms crossed, refusing to budge. She had heard all the stories of the strange pond and was sorry she’d even mentioned it to Nathan, because now he was determined to prove her wrong. (Read More) 
Crossover By Mark Kelly These were strange times. The auroras returned that evening, their light shining through the kitchen window near where I stood next to Mom, slicing carrots and onions for dinner. According to astronomers, they should never have reached Hawai`i, too close to the equator, they said. Despite their beauty, the Northern Lights felt as an omen, or perhaps visiting ghosts. (Read More) Drama
Harmony of the World by Joy Fisher NARRATOR: The play takes place at the University of Tubingen near Stuttgart. At the beginning of the play, the year is 1593; at the end, 1594. Kepler and his friend Besold enter. KEPLER: Why must he be so vicious? One of our own Lutheran ministers attacking the Calvinists like that-- BESOLD: Calm down, Johannes. (Read More) |
Nonfiction
My Escape from Alcatraz by Jim Gibbons I was only on Alcatraz Island once and it wasn’t off a tour boat and it wasn’t to compete in the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. And no, in case my grandchildren are reading this, I didn’t do time there when it was a prison from 1934 to 1963, (Read More) 
Anchors Aweigh by Diann Wilson I’d imagined my dream retirement would involve sleeping in, sipping lattes, reading books, and taking long walks. Instead, I found myself collecting boxes from the grocery store, making lists, and frantically pulling out my stack of moving company business cards. (Read More) 
Annie Dillard, Say It Isn’t So: Ringing True in Creative Nonfiction By Joy Fisher Maybe it’s because my Catholic upbringing taught me that lying is a sin. Or maybe it’s because an early career in journalism impressed on me the need for accuracy (we were, after all, writing the first draft of history) (Read More) 
The Dinoconda by Jada Rufo I am not a roller coaster fan. I cringe at the idea that a human being could be suspended in the air upside down. I don’t care how safe roller coaster architects and engineers claim their rides to be or what safety features they have installed or how many tests they have performed. To me, hanging upside down even for a split second is not natural. (Read More) 
Hallowed Ground By Wendy Noritake The glowing blue words on the screen grabbed my attention. “Looking for Information about Cleveland High School Student Yoshito Noritake.” The inquiry was from 2001, six years before my research began. I sent an email, hoping the address was still valid. A response arrived the next morning from Pat Rosenkranz, a former schoolteacher, a graduate of Cleveland High School in Seattle, Class of ‘49. (Read More) 
Aloha, E Komo Mai by Carol McMillan Fierce clanking rattled the steel walls of our family’s stateroom so badly that I felt certain the ship must be sinking. I peered out from under my covers to see if anyone else was panicking, but all seemed to be asleep. I nudged my sister next to me on our bunk. “Are we sinking?” (Read More) |
Poetry
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My Next Poem by Donna Beumler My next poem Will have the scent of gardenias which have just bloomed But not the scent of gardenias that have turned yellow because then they No, that’s not it My next poem will sound like children laughing. (Read More)
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46XX by Nancy Baenziger I am the goddess of evil it was named after me the source of all man’s sorrow (Read More)
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Unearthing by Helena Kim Rain falls gently on the parched plants: mint, jade, rosemary, caladium. Not the usual winter here on the northern tip of the Big Island where wind blows through and rain marches horizontally across the fields all season. (Read More)
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