News & Notes

All Night, Complexion, and Records

Upcoming Readers Write Deadlines

There’s still time to submit to Readers Write on “All Night”! Be sure to get your entry to us by November 1, 2024—we’ve suggested a few potential prompts if you still need to get your creative juices flowing. And it’s never too early to start your first draft for an upcoming topic. . . .

Tree Season

Evergreen Selections from the Archive

Every October I find myself paying a lot of attention to trees. Fall is my favorite season (bring on the crisp air and hot tea!), and the best part, as far as I’m concerned, is watching the leaves change. It was with pleasure that I read Sparrow’s essay “Thoreau and Me” in our October issue, in which he describes his autumn excursions, and Todd Davis’s memoir “The Next Peak” that takes a more poignant view of trees, as the author hikes the woods accompanied by the spirit of his departed father. This month’s selections from our archive are pieces that explore the beauty, consolation, and meaning humans find in these sheltering plants. We hope you’ll enjoy spending time with trees in these pieces and out in the world this month.

November Preview

Dash Lewis’s conversation with billy woods

“Past Futures” will be published in the November issue of The Sun, but we’re inviting you to read it a bit early because we think Dash Lewis’s conversation with billy woods is important to mull over in the coming weeks, regardless of what happens on Nov. 5 (or beyond).

Woods is not a politician or a political theorist or a pundit. He is a rapper whose work over the past two decades has undoubtedly been shaped and influenced by the decisions and attendant consequences that come from the offices of power around the world. In his conversation with Lewis woods talks about the cycles that have defined much of human history while also acknowledging how unpredictable they can be. While not necessarily comforting, woods’s view of the world is at once tangled and clear minded.

Family Ties

Poetry in Our October Issue

In Cameron Barnett’s poem “Grandpa’s Gavel,” a family heirloom transports the author back through memories of his grandfather’s social-justice work, convening NAACP meetings and orating in church. The gavel is like a magic wand that brings this beloved mentor to life. Lance Larsen’s poem “Bring Me a Horse” also involves family bonds, with an even stronger dose of magic: a group of boys tinker with protective spells to keep their dads “alive and cussing.”

Coping Mechanism

Peter Stenson on Writing, Parenting, and Phish

The Sun publishing Peter Stenson’s story (“Bone Frag”) was a good opportunity for me to catch up with him, which we did over Zoom a few months ago. He was older and wiser, sure, but in many ways still the Peter I had known and liked so well back in Colorado. We talked about where our lives had gone since grad school, where they were headed, and even touched on some of our questionable-to-others musical tastes.

T-Shirts, All Night, and Complexion

Upcoming Readers Write Topics and Deadlines

There’s still time to submit to Readers Write on “T-Shirts”! Be sure to get your entry to us by October 1, 2024—we’ve suggested a few potential prompts if you still need to get your creative juices flowing. And it’s never too early to start your first draft for an upcoming topic. . . .

Anything You Say Can Be Used Against You

Selections from the Archive

One of my favorite pieces in our September issue is Erin McReynolds’s essay “And These Too Are Defensive Wounds,” which details the author’s interactions with the courts following her mother’s murder. It reminded me that, over the years, many pieces in The Sun have described interactions with our flawed criminal-justice system and the dramas that take place inside and outside of the courtroom.

Memories on Trial

An Interview with Erin McReynolds

In her mid-twenties Erin McReynolds lost her mother, who was murdered by the man she was living with. In her essay in this month’s issue, “And These Too Are Defensive Wounds,” Erin struggles with her feelings toward the man who is currently serving a prison sentence for killing her mother, and who is now up for parole. Her initial impulse is not to perpetuate the suffering caused by the murder, but would supporting his bid for freedom really be the right thing to do?

Three Vivid, Varied Perspectives

Poetry in Our September Issue

The poems in our September issue invite me to share three vivid, varied perspectives. Luke Patterson’s prose poem “Extrication Day” offers a glimpse into the life of an EMT who sometimes needs his own rescue. In Luisa Muradyan’s “I Make Jokes When I’m Devastated,” the author deftly blends reflections on Jesus with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, reminding us that humor and sorrow are both human responses to the unimaginable. And for a journey into the surreal, Ernest Ògúnyẹmí’s “The Dream” transports us through a mesmerizing landscape of the mind, where lush language and dreamlike imagery intertwine in a symphony of stars and music.

Chores, T-Shirts, and All Night

Upcoming Readers Write Deadlines

There’s still time to submit to Readers Write on “Chores”! Be sure to get your entry to us by September 1, 2024—we’ve suggested a few potential prompts if you still need to get your creative juices flowing. And it’s never too early to start your first draft for an upcoming topic. . . .