Lopez ceramicist Pete Kuentzel is the featured artist in the summer 2016 edition of SHARK REEF Literary Magazine (sharkreef.org) and is also the first three-dimensional artist showcased in the magazine.
Kuentzel’s passion for clay began when he was in college,” says Lorna Reese, editor and cofounder of SHARK REEF, “and his work is surprising and fun.”
Also in the issue, Orcas writer Kristin Kolb writes eloquently about her train trip from Washington state to Denver and all the states in between in “Rapid City Coming Down.” Kolb and Kuentzel’s work, along with additional, equally-compelling stories, essays and poems from around the U.S., are online now at sharkreef.org.
As with the past eight editions, SHARK REEF editor and cofounder Reese partnered with writer Jeremiah O’Hagan to choose prose selections. O’Hagan teaches part time at an alternative high school in Washington State and writes for a local newspaper. Poets Gayle Kaune and Richard Widerkehr selected this issue’s featured poetry from close to 200 poems. Art editor Judith Connor works with Reese to invite artists to feature their work.
“I can’t say enough about Jeremiah, Gayle and Richard,” says Reese. “They are all exceptionally skilled in their fields and never miss a deadline. Jeremiah’s introduction to each issue is thoughtful, probing and often leads to unexpected places.”
Kaune and Widerkehr are in their fourth turn on the editorial team. Kaune, from Port Townsend, is published widely in literary journals, and her poems have won numerous awards. Widerkehr, also an award-winning poet, has had two collections of poems and a novel published. He lives in Bellingham.
Connor, an artist from St. Paul, Minn., is currently creating mosaic fish.
Founded in 2001 as a venue for Lopez Island writers, SHARK REEF, now in its 17th year, welcomes submissions from writers living wherever the Internet reaches.
“We’ve published compelling pieces from all over the world in SHARK REEF, including work by numerous local writers and artists,” notes Reese, “and look forward to what the coming years will bring. We appreciate the support of our readers, too, and hope people will keep turning to SHARK REEF for good writing and visual art.”
Originally published by the Lopez Writers Guild, SHARK REEF has, for several years, been published by Lopez Island author and publisher, Iris Graville. Readers can subscribe to SHARK REEF at no cost at sharkreef.org. Updates about the publication also are posted on the magazine’s Facebook page (Shark Reef Literary Magazine).
SHARK REEF publishes two issues a year, one in the summer and one in winter, with submission deadlines of March 31 and Sept. 30, respectively. The literary magazine considers solicited and unsolicited material: fiction, non-fiction prose, poetry and dramatic writing. It also features artwork by visual artists in each issue. Go to sharkreef.org for submission guidelines, current offerings and archived issues.
Caption Kuentzel’s whimsical clay sculptures surprise and delight.
