It’s been more than a year since COVID-19 first hit the United States, and though not everything is “back to normal,” a tangible feeling of excitement could be felt by all at the start of the summer. While life has certainly been difficult for many, one of the silver linings I’ve seen has been the way that everyone seems to be venturing out into the natural world. More people are visiting parks, seeking out summer festivals, and finding excuses to spend time outside.

 

This year’s Summer Reading Challenge was branded “Tails and Tales,” the focus being on
animals. When WNIT reached out to the Library about their upcoming documentary release
on the St. Joseph River, Sara Maloney, Manager of Research and Technology for SJCPL, and I
put our heads together. We saw this as a natural (no pun intended) opportunity to combine our
efforts and create a spotlight for the writing and history of nature in South Bend.

 

The result was a series of interconnected programs revolving around writing and history, all of which we used to highlight our call for submissions for SJCPL Writes. We turned the Library’s monthly adult writing group, The Write Space, into a summer-long writing retreat series along the river. Sara and I each gave a presentation at these retreats, inviting two additional guest speakers--English Associate Professor Yelizaveta Renfro from St. Mary’s and Travis Childs from the South Bend History Museum. Additionally, Sara and I created writing activities for kids to try out at all SJCPL branches. It warmed my heart to see how many kids were interested in writing about the St. Joseph River.

 

I believe this collaboration allowed us to reach a wider audience, resulting in this year’s
publication. We were also able to diversify our content in more ways than one. While we
published exclusively short fiction in our first issue, we announced this year that we were
seeking nonfiction, poetry, and art pieces. We received submissions for all these genres,
including a lovely poem written in Spanish.

 

This publication could not have been possible without several SJCPL staff working together.
I want to thank my editorial staff: Samira Hassan, Vicente Mendez Perez, Shirley Ross, Darla
Rowe, Joseph Sipocz, and Rachel Yike. We also owe our gratitude to the Communications
Department at SJCPL for expanding our reach on social media and helping us prepare the
print publication.

 

I am truly impressed by the writing and art we received; it is wonderful to see this local talent
in St. Joseph County. Although SJCPL Writes is an online literary magazine, I hope you are
able to enjoy the beautiful wordsmithing while basking in nature’s glow. We are also fortunate
to be able to offer a limited print publication this year. If you see one at your local branch, that
means one of the writers could be close by!

 

Kara Pauley
Editor-in-Chief
North Liberty Branch Manager