Introduction
Rail and “embrace / the slow-train rumble of the blood, nerves untwisting / like swing chains in the breeze.” Just in time, the sixth issue of River River tumbles, reborn a waterfall in which you might rinse off the residue of these past months’ news. Join in as “she imagines the world a root vegetable” and peel away the grime, the rough outer skin. Our editors shoveled and sifted for the most nourishing poetry and short prose that our submissions pile had to offer. So pack it in, and even if you end up running away from home on six quarters, you’ll find your way right back through the rapid stream of the heart.
As an independent journal and non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, we are grateful for the support of many people. Our thanks especially to Ken Herndon and David e. Bell for web design and support. Thanks to our friends at Cuppa Pulp Writers’ Space, CSU’s Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians, Manhattanville College, Art Café Nyack, Seranam Literary Arts, JohnnyCakes Cafe, Patisserie Didier Dumas, ArtsWestchester, and the Nyack Chamber of Commerce for co-hosting literary events and writing salons. Much gratitude to the Arts Council of Rockland and the New York State Council for the Arts, which provided grant funding of our community writing project in 2017. Thanks to all the writers and artists who sent us submissions for this issue; we appreciated the opportunity to see your work. Huge thanks to our board of directors and recent donors for your contributions to the literary arts. And to our members, for whom all this inspiration flows.
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