August 2011: Editor’s Notes

donna in her creative juices flow shirt

Creative juices may contain pulp, says one of my favorite Threadless t-shirts. I can't resist photos with props. This pic snapped at a cabin at a state park near Gettysburg, Pa. on a semi-annual writer's trip.

It’s hard to believe we’re on our fourth issue! It’s been eight months since we launched our website and, soon, we’ll be a year old! Well, we won’t rush that. One issue at a time…

But, now that things are really moving at Hippocampus Magazine, it’s time to expand our staff. We’re looking for section editors and contributing writers.  You can learn more about those positions here. We’re super excited to be adding to our masthead and are very pleased with the folks who have so far been attracted to join us.

The overwhelming support we’ve received so far has just been incredible. A big thanks to our reading panel, the Wilkes University low-residency MFA program and my friends and family who have supported this endeavor from the beginning. With so much accomplished in just a few months, I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Here are some additional Hippocampus updates:

Most Memorable from July

Selecting this month’s Most Memorable winner was tough. When it comes down to it, Holy Tribunal by Jane Hammon’s grabbed the title. The amount of comments—and the quality of comments—really shows this story struck a chord with folks. This story received the most traffic as well. Rachel Cann’s Parting also received a large amount of comments, but ultimately Ms. Hammon’s adventures of an annulment make her win “officially recognized” by Hippocampus Magazine!

A Proud Moment

Also in Most Memorable news, the efforts of Noriko Nakada (Big Brother) and Thomas DeMary (Depressive Episodes) must be acknowledged. These two promoted the hell out of their stories on Twitter and, in the process, I witnessed a friendship develop. Seeing the friendly banter—from one coast to the other—reinforced my beliefs that this literary magazine is more than a place to read creative nonfiction. It’s also a blossoming community–writers are being connected with one another because their work appeared in the same place. I love it.

Contest Deadline September

Also, our Remember in November Contest for Creative Nonfiction is still in full swing. There’s just over a month left to enter your best work, while also helping the Alzheimer’s Association. We’ve been so warmed and moved by some of the cover letters accompanying the contest entries. If you missed our announcement of special guest judges, you can read it here. But, to save you a click, we’re proud to have on board: Kaylie Jones, Becky Bradway, Jesse Waters and Philip Brady.

Looking Ahead

This issue, we feel, has something for everyone. To keep that momentum going, we’ll give you a little teaser for September. We’ve got work slated to appear from: John Willis, Nathan Evans (his second piece for Hippocampus), NancyJ. Brandwein (her second piece for Hippocampus), Cory Fusco, Pauline Campos, Anika Fajardo and Nancy Oquendo. We accepted Willis’ memoir excerpt on his 9/11 rescue efforts many months ago, but we found it more fitting to run in September, the 10th anniversary of this national tragedy.

We hope you enjoy this issue—and many more to come. In the spirit of community-building, we do hope that if an article interests you, that you’ll make a comment, share it on Facebook or on Twitter.

Happy August!

Donna Talarico

  2 comments for “August 2011: Editor’s Notes

Share a Comment