The idea for SJCPL’s first online literary journal came about suddenly, rather in the same way the pandemic sent us all into quarantine.  From our homes, librarians were creating digital content and coming up with new and creative ways to engage with our patrons at home.  As we considered safe, alternative programs for the summer, we knew there were people taking advantage of the stay-at-home order to work on their writing.  Why not have an online showcase of that work?

 

It has been a long road from launching the website, to announcing our Call for Submissions, to assembling a team of editors, to reviewing and accepting submissions.  I was pleased to discover that there were a handful of library staff excited about collaborating on this creative endeavor.  And as submissions from writers began rolling in, I was thrilled to see the stories written by people in our community.

 

Two of our published authors are teens and two are young adults.  I can’t wait to see where they will go creatively from here.  As librarians, we often get to tell people about great writers, but working with new and budding writers is an entirely new experience. It has been a joy for each of us librarian-editors to dive deeper in the thing that connects us all: stories.

 

I want to thank the entire editorial team for jumping on board with this project and putting their hearts into the work--even in these changing times.  My appreciation also goes to our Digital Content Specialist, Mel Lutz, behind the scenes, who helped us work out all of our technical details.  And I am grateful to our community authors, who without whom this first edition of SJCPL Writes would not have been possible.

 

This year’s theme revolved around folktales, which offers us a chance to escape the uncertainty of our daily lives--for good or for ill.  Although not all folktales have happy endings, they often bring us a little bit of magic and hope. As you read on, I hope you enjoy these original South Bend-made folktales, which surely ring with magic and hope...and also a little bit of truth.

 

Kara Pauley

Editor-in-Chief

North Liberty Branch Manager