Welcome to the third annual release of Yellow Arrow Vignette, Yellow Arrow Publishing’s online creative nonfiction and poetry series. For this issue, we aligned with our 2024 yearly value and chose AMPLIFY, though we did not ask submitters to send in pieces on theme; rather, staff at Yellow Arrow used the idea in-house as a reminder to continue to share and amplify women-identifying voices. With that, here is the AMPLIFY issue of Yellow Arrow Vignette:
yellowarrowpublishing.com/vignette/amplify-2024
With Vignette AMPLIFY, we wanted to return to some of the earliest goals of Yellow Arrow: circulating and augmenting the creative work of voices and themes that aren’t heard loudly enough. And as part of the return to our roots, we wanted to showcase writers who live in or are otherwise connected to our home base of Baltimore. We want our readers to experience the spectrum of voices that Charm City offers.
Before diving into the pages of AMPLIFY, explore the cover art for the issue, “shine your light bright” by Kara Panowitz. Kara has lived in Baltimore City for 19 years. According to Kara, “A positive light needs to shine on Baltimore, amplifying all that’s good about the city. A city of neighborhoods, the sunset highlights the Baltimore classic rowhouse, with the iconic skyline standing strong in the background. I love the way the light makes Baltimore glow in this image.” Kara loves documentary photography, taking photos on hikes, and capturing Baltimore in different lights and seasons. Her photography has been chosen for local art exhibitions.
We hope you see the same light glimmering on the Baltimore rooftops shining on the poetry and creative nonfiction in AMPLIFY. Start with “IT WORKS, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT” by Tracy Dimond, who gracefully writes “I’ve never felt so womanly / Since having a hysterectomy // A hollowed-out Barbie / The aesthetic without the danger” and continue through to “Wish You Were Here” by Barbara Westwood Diehl. “Wish You Were Here” ends the series with an incredible vision: “In the city of Wish You Were Here, you will not see the castle washed away.” We don’t want to give too much away in this release. Rather, we ask that you read the words and AMPLIFY pages slowly and really take in and experience the different emotions found within.
Thank you to all the writers who followed the call for amplification and sent in their beautiful pieces. We were amazed by the breadth of our collection of submitters and hope that you have the opportunity to amplify your own voice along with any others that surround you. And to the incredible creatives who let us include their work in AMPLIFY: Trish Broome, Barbara Westwood Diehl, Tracy Dimond, Kay White Drew, Jennifer Martinelli Eyre, Katherine Fallon, Robin L. Flanigan, My-Azia Johnson, Diane Macklin, B. Morrison, Sierra Offutt, Christine Pennylegion, Anna Slesinski, Laura Taber, Brigitte Winter, and Cherrie Woods (aka Cherrie Amour). Thank you for trusting us with your words.
Also, thank you to the Yellow Arrow Vignette team, Dr. Tonee Mae Moll and Isabelle Anderson, for their work on the series. Our staff diligently reads through every submission, works on editing every sentence, and contributes amazing feedback to our authors and submitters! Given this, we would also like to thank our wonderful editorial associates, readers, and interns for this issue: Sydney Alexander, Jill Earl, Angela Firman, Marylou Fusco, Caroline Kunz, Alexa Laharty, Sophia Lama, Amaya Lambert, Siobhan McKenna, Sara Palmer, Samantha Pomerantz, Nicky Ruddell, Mel Silberger, Claire Taylor, and Ally Waldon.
The reading for Vignette AMPLIFY will be in-person at the Baltimore Book Festival on September 28. More information is forthcoming.
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Yellow Arrow Publishing is a nonprofit supporting women-identifying writers through publication and access to the literary arts. You can support us as we AMPLIFY women-identifying creatives this year by purchasing one of our publications or a workshop from the Yellow Arrow bookstore, for yourself or as a gift, joining our newsletter, following us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, or subscribing to our YouTube channel. Donations are appreciated via PayPal (staff@yellowarrowpublishing.com), Venmo (@yellowarrowpublishing), or US mail (PO Box 65185, Baltimore, Maryland 21209). More than anything, messages of support through any one of our channels are greatly appreciated.