An Invitation for Honest Conversation
A short update by Camas Editor Nick Triolo about forming editorial boards, the mission, and our fierce call in this Winter 2014 issue for a true, poly-expressive voice of the West.
Filleted magazines, sticky-fingered snacks, expired tea mugs, and bold ideas were spread everywhere across the table.
A few weeks ago, Emily and I had our first meeting at the UM FLAT to organize editorial boards for Camas Magazine’s Winter 2014 issue. We spent the evening roundtable-discussing the direction for this publication. What previous experiences got us all here? What purpose do literary magazines really serve? Why is it so important to usher forth a diverse set of voices for and of the environment?
By the end, it was clear that we had the right group of editors, those that saw the work ahead as more than just a magazine, their tasks as more than a dusty stack of to-do checkboxes. Instead, we all saw the work as continuing an honest conversation with place and with ourselves.
Each editor was given a sliver of paper with Camas Magazine’s new mission statement on it:
“Camas Magazine cultivates a community of writers and artists dedicated to promoting ecological and cultural diversity and resilience in the American West.”
Emily and I both invited each editor to tape this mission statement to their binder, their mirror, and their forehead, because this is what anchors us, what holds us all together. It reminds us why Camas Magazine matters. We think it matters because the planet seems to be asking for honest voices to converse with, voices with varied backgrounds reflecting diverse perspectives--ethnicities, cultures, genders, sexual orientations, those handi-capable, and many others.
After all, these are the varied and true voices of the West.
October 15, 2014 is the deadline for our Winter 2014 issue. Our new team at Camas Magazine intends to respond to this invitation with our most honest voice ever, one including all of our shades of eco-cultural expression. We hope you submit any writing, photography or artwork that may help us respond to this call.