Dear Readers,
The name of this anthology comes from the definition of the word solstice: that time when the sun reaches its most northernly or southernly points—i.e., the maximum tilt of the sun. A solstice occurs twice per year, once in summer and once in winter, and marks both the shortest and longest days of the year.
The Solstice Low-Residency Program in Creative Writing at Pine Manor College isn’t exactly an event; but, like its namesake, it’s what inspired the creation of this anthology. We—Ieshia Karasik, Andy Smart, and Lisa Allen—stood in the frigid New England air one night during a winter residency and talked about writing inspiration, our respective genres, and how we might contribute to the program that gave—and continues to give—us so much.
During workshops at residencies, we also inevitably talked about our lives through our writing: the highs, the lows, the wonderful, the unbearable. For this, our inaugural issue, we chose to focus on the same theme: our highest and lowest points, and how those highs and lows show in our longest and shortest days.
We have big plans for this anthology series, the most important of which is that every cent from every sale, less printing costs, will be donated to the Writers Helping Writers Scholarship Fund at the Solstice Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing Program. With your work, your purchase, or your donation, you are contributing to the legacy of creative arts. You are helping a student who might not otherwise pursue an MFA do just that, and we thank you.
We are grateful to Joyce McPherson and Jenn Strattman, who created and nurtured a previous version of this endeavor. We also feel enormous gratitude to the artists published in this endeavor; thank you for taking a chance on something new and unproven. We’re certain that your words, your art, will inspire others to pursue their own creative impulses.
We’d love to hear from you—and we’d love to pass along your support or comments to the artists in this anthology, if you’re so inclined.
With gratitude,
Lisa, Ieshia, and Andy