Class Post 1/26

     I spent most of my weekend working on a project for another class, a literary journal review.  Let's just say I wasn't thrilled about this, but actually I ended up reading most of the stories in the journal and enjoyed being curled up, reading short stories from some very talented authors.
     The journal I reviewed was titled  ZYZZYVA.  I suppose the unusual name is what drew me to this publication initially; the inside cover includes this dictionary entry:
                                                             Zyzzyva(ZIZ-zi-va)n. Any of various tropical American weevils of                                                         the genus Zyzzyva, often destructive to plants. The last word in
                                                        certain dictionaries.
    If I had to guess, I’d say the title of the publication is derived from the later, rather than the former.
    The guidelines for publication are limited to West Coast writers and artists only, specifically  Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon or California. The publication’s website states that they have been publishing West Coast writers (and the occasional author east of California) since 1985, and focus specifically on prose, poetry and visual art.  No reason is given for this exclusivity, but given the location of the publication (San Francisco), this seems logical.
     Zyzzyza accepts submissions year round, and they request submissions in full; no previews or inquiries.  There are no maximum page requirements.  No information is given regarding payment for submissions, but they do offer unpaid internships, which they highlight on their page.
    Zyzzyza is published three times yearly, in April, September and December. The edition I reviewed is the Winter 2011 edition, No. 93, and the ratio of prose to poetry was fairly equal; each category had seven selections represented, along with two nonfiction essays and one play. Scattered throughout the issue was photography from a photojournalist’s trip to Vietnam.  The edition also highlighted two fictions by never before published writers.
     One of the “huzzahs” for this journal caught my eye: “If you have never subscribed to a little magazine, this is a great place to start. Recommended for all.”  Elle Magazine affirms this sentiment; “Gracefully skirts the line between hip and highbrow”.  Yet another endorsement from USA Today reads “Unusually pleasing to the sensibilities”.  I would have to absolutely agree.  Much detail is given to the publication; the text font is even custom made specifically for Zyzzyza.  The pages are recycled ecru, and have the weight that makes you want to pick up the book and read.  Even the smell of ink, which so often is associated with small publications on non-slick paper, is tantalizing to my senses.
    As for the content of the poems and prose, I do not see any specific unifying element save the geographic locations of their authors.  There is a variety of writing style and content.
    The only drawback of this publication in my opinion is that the first several pages are advertisements for local businesses in the San Francisco area.  But even this is somewhat cool, since they are quirky businesses, such as Small House Rikyu, a company that specializes in building 144 sq ft homes out of salvaged wood.
    There is no facepage or letter from the Editor, but the journal hardly needs one.  Picking up this publication was like catching up with an old friend and picking up right where you left off, even if you’ve never met.

Class Project

This semester, in addition to my thoughts on life in general, I will be using this blog for a class project in editing and publishing, rather than setting up another blog. I apologize to those who view it for class, as you will probably get updates for my other posts, and I also apologize to those of you who follow my blog regularly, since you will get class posts that might not interest you.  What can I say, I can barely keep up with one blog, let alone creating another!

Profluence

   Do you ever feel like you're being hit over the head with a certain idea or theme?  I mean, it just keeps coming up, in every possible area of your life.  That's me with this MOVE thing.  Who knew living a life in motion could apply to all parts of life! 
   I began my spring semester of courses last week in the middle of my diabetic breakdown, realizing that I had movement in my health, but in the wrong direction. Once I cleared the mental obstacle of insulin injections, I was off and running, and in my usual overzealous fashion, I had grandiose goals of ONLY eating healthy foods, exercising instead of watching tv- ever, etc., etc..  After only15 minutes on a treadmill followed by a couple of cookies, I realized that I was forcing this thing, and I would burn out if I didn't find a way to make this a part of my life naturally.
  Right on time, my second lecture in Creative Writing 2 brought me to the next aspect of this journey of movement- profluence. Webster defines profluence as "having the quality of flowing forward".  In literary terms, this means that a story must progress- it must flow-without being forced.  Nothing is worse than reading a book where the plot is forced to move along and feels unnatural.  The goal is to create characters and dialogue that carry the story along.
   What a concept; allowing life to flow naturally!  Obviously, some work is required. Just as a story would not simply move itself along without characters or dialogue, we human beings will not flourish without taking the first steps in the right direction.  But the goal is profluence-the quality of flowing forward.  This strikes me as a completely natural movement that comes from somewhere deep inside the inner dialogue of the heart. So maybe the goal is less about changing the functions of life and more about changing the mental and emotional attitudes of the soul.  And just as the plot of a story will flow out of the characters and their discourse, the greatest moments in life flow from the effort we put in to our character, not our forced plans.

Movement

"We're losing ground".  These are not words you want to hear when you're in the doctor's office, checking your three month labs. "Your A1C (blood sugar 3 month averages) has gone up a lot in the past quarter, and your fasting levels are way over the acceptable amount." I expected this news; I check my fasting levels each morning, and I knew that December was not my best month.  I expected Dr. Yantis to change my oral medication, and was looking forward to getting back on track.
"Tammy, I think it's time for us to switch to insulin injections."  Hey, just go ahead and slap me unexpectedly; same difference.  I was numb. This has been my fear since the day I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I have spent most of my adult life watching my mom give herself injections in the stomach, struggle with the high's and low's.  I don't want to do this. I began to cry uncontrollably, which made me mad, which made me cry more.
Dr. Yantis calmly handed me a tissue. "There's good news and there's bad news.  The good news is you're not my typical diabetes patient; you're not 300 lbs, and your diet is not caused by poor lifestyle. It's genetic.  The bad new is,  you're not 300 lbs, and your diet is not caused by poor lifestyle. It's genetic.  This is a disease for you, and there is no cure, so we have to figure out how to give you the best care for your best life."  I picked up my prescription, went home, and stood in the bathroom, needle poised, for a full 20 minutes before I could finally make myself plunge the medication into my abdomen.  It didn't even hurt.  But the mental block is huge, and I don't know how long it will take me to jump this hurdle.  But I'm working on it.
No one likes to hear the words "losing ground".  But the fact of the matter is,we are either losing ground or gaining ground. Our universe is created around movement; the world spins, humans breathe, landscapes evolve, and if we're not moving forward, we're moving backward.  I have, many times in the past year or so, said "I feel like I'm stuck in the mud and can't move".  This is not accurate; it's more like I've been running around in circles, or chasing my tail, which in and of itself is movement. But eventually, you get dizzy and start moving backwards, if you don't get off the merry go round and push forward.
The diabetes issue is just one more spoke in the "movement" wheel of my life the past few weeks. It began with a sermon series at church, then spread to a discussion of exercise, then to career paths, and now, health issues.  On the one hand, I'm devastated with the realization that I have a progressive disease that cannot be controlled by simple diet and exercise.  Those who know me know that it is difficult to give up this control. But I'm also energized that I'm finally not "spinning my wheels", with this issue or others, and that movement is becoming a theme in my life.
Side note- I just noticed that one year ago today, I posted a blog about diabetes...hmm....