Excerpt: The "Beginnings" issue of 105 Meadowlark Reader

 

April 2021

Dear Reader:

Here it is—the inaugural issue of 105 Meadowlark Reader! We are thrilled to have you along for the ride.  

When we began this new and exciting venture, Tracy and I set out to gather true Kansas stories and to highlight our many talented Kansas writers. Because our journal was going to seek contributions from Kansas writers, we wanted to publish stories that shared an authentic Kansas experience.

“Beginnings” seemed like an appropriate theme for this issue and between these covers you’ll find thirty-five stories written by Kansans and former Kansans. 

As you make your way through this journal, you’ll find a wide variety of writing styles and content: everything from the birth of calves to a study of William Stafford, from water skiing on a tiny lake to how to play two-man baseball. 

Over time, 105’s goal is to publish stories from across our rectangular map, stories with connections in each of the 105 counties. While the larger population centers will rush us with more submissions, we know that in each and every rural county there are countless writers with hands spreading ink across a page, heads bent over keyboards. We want to hear from all of you. 

105 is looking for a true diversity of beautiful Kansas voices. Please consider writing and submitting your own stories. We welcome storytellers of all levels of experience. We are looking for stories that capture an authentic experience written in your own unique voice.

The theme of our autumn issue is: Kansas Travel Stories. Visit our website for submission guidelines, www.105meadowlarkreader.com.

We want to help build and encourage a strong community of Kansas writers. Check out our directory of resources in the back. And please consider subscribing to 105 Meadowlark Reader. Be a part of this magnificent Kansas adventure. 

Tracy and I are excited to produce a journal that showcases Kansas writers and we are delighted to have you with us, dear reader. Thank you. 

                                                                                        Cheryl Unruh, Editor

Purchase your copy in the Meadowlark bookstore.

Julie Sellers is one of 35 authors in the first issue of 105 Meadowlark Reader.

Julie A. Sellers was raised on a family farm in the Flint Hills near the small town of Florence, Kansas, and she has always loved those unbounded expanses of tallgrass prairie. After living in several states and countries, Julie is happy to make her home in Atchison, Kansas, where she is an Associate Professor of Spanish at Benedictine College. Julie has published three academic books, and her creative prose and poetry has appeared in publications such as Cagibi, Eastern Iowa Review, Wanderlust and Kansas Time + Place. Julie was the Kansas Authors Club 2020 Prose Writer of the year. Her collection of poetry, Kindred Verse, is forthcoming from Blue Cedar Press in June 2021.

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