The Elephant Mountain Review is a new Kootenay literary magazine. Many of the 27 contributors have also read their work live at two monthly readings which adorn our vibrant literary scene.
The Booksmyth readings happen on the final Friday of each month and the Nelson poetry slam transpires on the second Sunday of each month.
The magazine is a product of the Horsefly Literary Society, which previously published Horsefly magazine and we gratefully acknowledge funding support provided by the Columbia Basin Trust and the Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance.
The poems and stories in this issue cover a wide gamut of human experience, starting with poems by Elena Banfield and Arthur Joyce, in tribute to friends who have recently died, with reflections that sharpen the savour of life’s fleeting feast. Helen Blum remembers a father of who lost a leg in World War II but never stopped fighting for a better world. Jordan Mounteer gives us word windows into the experience of canoeing in the northern reaches of the BC coast. Caroline Woodward lets us into her life as a lighthouse keeper near Tofino. Denis Foley recounts in epic tones his youthful experience as a merchant mariner in the Indian Ocean and describes a desperate journey to rescue a woman from war-torn Afghanistan. Paula Hudson-Lunn describes the hilarious ritual of solidarity she used to share with women friends of a certain age.
Volker M addresses a poem of blessing and counsel to his young daughter. Kathryn Hartley shows us a woman reflecting on the beauties of rural childhood that can’t be shared with her child in their city-bound life. Mark Mealing stones a beetle, compares the oracles of weather with those of the I Ching and remembers sailing under the northern lights up Fitzhugh Sound. Linda Crosfield describes the way old lovers dance together to the very end. Joel Guay remembers what he loved about his dad and shows how much we have to learn from children. And that’s only the first half of the excellent writers assembled in this auspicious debut issue.
There will be breaks for home-made snacks and tea or coffee with live music by Solona Armstrong and Cedar. Admission is free and the magazine will be offered for sale.
The launch of The Elephant Mountain Review will take place on Friday April 27. It will run from 7 to 9 p.m. at SelfDesign High (upstairs in the Legion Hall) at 402 Victoria Street.