Volume 2013 Parnassus

Letter from the Editor

The vision for this year’s Parnassus edition, Inspiration Everywhere, is best summarized through the words of photographer and filmmaker Paul Strand: “The artist’s world is limitless. It can be found anywhere, far from where he lives or a few feet away. It is always on his doorstep.”

I admire the visionaries who can look at a brick, handle its weight, inspect its grained edges, and raise an entire house from it. To those of you who found the bricks and constructed your own houses, I want to thank you for your vision and hard work. To those artists who opened the door and welcomed us strangers into your world, I want to thank you for your courage. It has been both an honor for us to rest in your thoughts and a privilege to publish your work.

I would like to thank this year’s staff for their creativity, dedication, and time. Each day was an adventure all its own, and I have enjoyed your spontaneity, eagerness, and willingness along the way. Thank you for being so wonderful. I would like to extend my appreciation to Dr. Aaron Housholder who had not abandoned Parnassus during the final stages of his dissertation but continued to grace us with his support, presence, and patience. I am also grateful for our panel of judges and their opinions in determining this year’s winners.

To you reading this journal, I thank you in advance for your time. I urge you to approach each poem, story, and image as if entering into the artist’s house. Make yourself at home—take off your shoes, hang up your coat, and explore at your leisure. As you find, no house is perfect, but each is unique, fascinating and worth entering. Let your eyes glance past the small cracks in the vaulted ceiling to witness the way the evening glow floats in through the curtains, hailing upon the sofa and chairs a celestial charm. Notice also the way the light changes you as you pass through it.

The artist’s world is always on his doorstep and now, you, too, are standing there. Each artist has invited you into his place; please, enter in and know that you are always welcome.