Aloha and Welcome to the Fall Issue of Women Raise Our Voices
The theme for the Fall Issue 2024 is SPARKS. What sparked an idea or feeling that ignited something larger? How did a spark take hold inside of you and shape who you are? What sparked your interest in changing your own life or changing the world? What sparks your authenticity? Has your spark ever been extinguished and how did you rekindle it? We had many wonderful submissions from which to choose. We hope you’ll take time from a busy schedule to read and comment on the work of the talented women featured here.
It Brought Me to My Knees by Marjorie St. Clair
Have you heard the expression “it brought me to my knees”? By the time you receive this issue of Women Raise Our Voices, people on Maui who experienced the devastation of the Lahaina fires last August 8th, 2023, will have passed the one-year mark since that life-altering event brought me and thousands of others to our knees. Those of us who were trapped inside our cars in Lahaina Town in the late afternoon of that day came face to face with the Angels of Death. Over 100 people died, and the entire town of Lahaina was burned to the ground. Sadly, by the time you receive this issue of WROVoices, we will have witnessed the outcome of another horrific event…the recent unbelievable destruction from Hurricanes Helene and Milton that struck the Southeastern United States, leaving numbers of people dead and entire towns washed away.
Strangely, the reality of being brought to my knees reminded me of the years I lived in Paris some decades ago. One of my favorite things was to shop the march au pus or flea markets for antiques with my close friend Rose. One rainy Saturday I spotted an unusual chair whose seat was beautifully stitched in needlepoint. It had a high back, and the seat was only inches from the ground. It didn’t look like any chair I’d ever seen.
Poetry Finalists
Distance in the Future Spark by Lisa Darcy
In the End Redemption by Susan Haifleigh
Lahaina Fires by Dee Horne
Language of the Fireflies by Susan Haifleigh
Sparklers, Pinwheels and Roman Candles by Janet Ruth
Sparks by Kate Ballew
The Last Ceremony by Indrani Fausch
Unveiled by Susan Haifleigh
Voice by Sherry Peterson
Invited Poet
The editors thank Canadian poet Josephine LoRe for responding to our request to reprint her poem, which so beautifully aligns with this edition’s theme.
A flick of blue by Josephine LoRe
Prose Finalists
When Otter Came Into My Life by Gina T. Ogorzaly
Otter was a woman who joined me early one morning on the produce run for the Minneapolis Co-op where I was only the second woman to hold the job of produce buyer. She was on a diet of persimmons and wanted to see where they were coming from—mostly China–so we were only headed to a warehouse. If I asked her why she was doing a diet solely of persimmons, I no longer remember her answer.
Four Words by Rebecca Jo Dakota
I trudged up the hill to an old university building, one with no air conditioning, then up the stairs to the classroom. Students settled at desks for the next Sociology 101 lecture, trying to stay awake in the warm room. Perhaps I was a little more interested than the others, as I had recently been fascinated to learn the social research fact that salad dressing choices were a predictor of socioeconomic status. Did you know that bleu cheese dressing is more likely to be chosen by those with higher education levels? I wanted to learn more about patterns in social behaviors.
How to Begin Again by Sherry Peterson
How to begin again.
And again.
And again.
I am four months old in the womb. Floating in oblivion.
Everyone who came before is with me. Floating. Whispering their stories. The old stories playing out on repeat. What limited joy there was left behind in empty cradles, handwoven blankets, cupped bowls.
Thought I Might Die Today by Ellen La Penna
I thought I might die today, no reason why, just a feeling …Tromping through the forest, over and over to mark the borders of death—a new group of beautiful trees to come down. Each one so different, living gods and goddesses, some still crowned with the sparkling red of lehua blossoms.
More Than Arm Candy by Jessica Taylor
I had been in Australia for seven weeks when I finally accepted that Albert wasn’t going to marry me. I followed him to Sydney like a puppy dog, tongue panting, eyes focused lovingly on him. I realize now his gaze never fell on me like that.
Art Finalists
To learn more about the art and the artist click on the image below.
Aphrodite
11×15-inch mixed media
by Gina Ogorzaly
Women’s March 2017
Photography
by Angela Werneke
Winter Solstice
Photograph
by Mary Van Pelt
Fall Kitchen Corner
by Dairne McLoughlin
This is our feature where we share kitchen medicine and wisdom from our elders. Fall is in the air. Time to warm our foods, a time to leave behind the cold summer foods and enjoy the bounty of Mother Earth.
This recipe was inspired by the hundreds of peaches our tree produced this year. We froze seven gallons from the harvest. Peaches are a medicine food for the digestive tract. They soothe the stomach and the spleen loves any food orange and yellow in color.
I made it to go with fish tacos, but you could use it with mushroom tacos as well. It would also be good as a chutney for rice and veggies or your favorite Indian curry.
Women Raise Our Voices is an online quarterly platform written, edited and illustrated by a revolving collective of nine to thirteen women. It is a place for women, non-binary and female-identified creatives to share their writing and visual art. Our voices matter! Your voice matters! We want to hear your compassionate and authentic stories.
Thanks to everyone who submitted their work and a big thank you to you the reader for being part of our subscriber-community! The editors for this issue were Dairne McLoughlin, Gina Ogorzaly and Sherry Peterson; Andi Penner was our esteemed editing guru; Rebecca Dakota, Claire Reutter, Yvonne Scott and Rebecca Leeman were on the various committees who chose what submissions were accepted for publication. Kudos to Denise Weaver Ross, our talented artist, designer and editor who puts it all together and gets it out into the world. Everyone worked hard to get this particular issue to publication and deserves a big thank you.
Aloha, Marjorie