First Leaves 2009 Online

The Literary Journal of the Santa Rosa Junior College.

Welcome to First Leaves 2009                       

Preface
First Leaves: The Literary and Art Journal of Santa Rosa Junior College features the work of students, staff, faculty and members of the North San Francisco Bay writing community.
First Leaves dates back to the spring of 1940 when the Santa Rosa Junior College English Club Vitae Lampada published the original edition. Continued as a project of the Quill and Parchment Club and others on campus, the journal continued until 1974 when students asked for it to become a credit class. Instructor Don Emblem responded. He designed English 80, the Small Publications Workshop that combined into one class both the production of First Leaves and instruction in various aspects of printing. Today, students in the course learn the information every editor needs to know to take a manuscript to print in a new technological environment that includes file creation for digital prepress. Students who enroll in English 80 automatically become the staff of First Leaves. (Purchase Online here)

    Producing this publication is a labor of love. Cutting through stacks of poetry and prose that express the “what” and “what if” of the imagination can rival any amusement park ride. In anticipation of teaching English 80, I unleashed the journal’s “Call for Submissions” in October 2008, and by January 12, 2009, our student editors began combing through the poetry, prose and art. At first, we were struck by what seemed to be a disproportionate number of works that featured angst, pain or confusion in their core. While strong emotions are nothing new to imaginative writing, we were unsettled by statements that seemed to accept powerlessness in the face of human-made events. We asked ourselves and had informal discussions about whether the last eight years had dampened artistic vision: the power of ordinary words to express not just one’s present condition, but to evoke the majesty and power of the human spirit. Then, we noticed that the promotional literature of the Academy of Art University, San Francisco declared some very useful ideas about art: “If it lifts you up in some sort of emotional epiphany or throws your preconceptions to the ground, trust us; it’s art. If it inhabits your dreams and questions your fears, it’s art. Because art, if you know how to look for it, is everywhere.” Hoping to apply these ideas, we looked at the submissions, searching for well-developed craft: the comforting and beautiful, the disturbing and inspirational.

    To these ends, we hope you enjoy the poetry, prose and images we have assembled. While the most of works have never been published before, we are pleased to include “Ordinary Words,” a poem by Elizabeth Carlson, whose writing continues to inspire us today. Two new poems by Don Emblem also appear, but do so under a pseudonym. If after reading the collection, you haven’t solved the mystery, check page 119. All of us applaud his previous efforts as we walk in his footsteps. May each of us continue to express ourselves and speak our truth. With great pleasure, we present First Leaves 2009.

Abby L. Bogomolny,
English Instructor & First Leaves Faculty Advisor
Santa Rosa, California
March 2009

Table of contents

Poetry and Prose

Ahellas, Moving Lightly
Emily Armstrong, Last Ode to the Old You
Emil Biavaschi, Patriot Act
Barbarajo Bloomquist, Old Woman
Abby Bogomolny, Three Times as Hard to Know One
Brian Boldt, Comforting Madeline on Her Second Birthday    
Elizabeth Carlson, Ordinary Words
Jabez W. Churchill, The Lie
Jabez W. Churchill, La Mentira
Jabez W. Churchill, It is Said/Se Dice
Marta Dee, Chicken for Dinner
Marta Dee, Hide Away Home
Conor Doran, The Hat
Bryce Dow-Williamson, 11/14/2007
Bryce Dow-Williamson, Mission Accomplished
Kelly Drake, For Mowgli (2003 08-20)
Claire Drucker, The Wall Between
Claire Drucker, Wedding Day
Rich Ferrick, Dignity
Kira Findling, Heritage Poem
Don Hagelberg, Without a Sole to My Name
Jodi Hottel, The Rider
James Kowalczyk, Food Bomb
James Kowalczyk, Full Circle
Kelley Larsen, Trip to the Market    
Stephanie Listug, At the Mercy of the Waves
Hannah Maggiora, Birth of a Naturalist
Amanda Majestie, Once I Was a Shadow
Tom Mariani, 5 AM Shaving and Paper Towel Bathing in Safeway’s Bathroom
Tom Mariani, List of My Loves
Brandon McKinney, Music
Robin Miller, One
Robin Miller, San Francisco as a Woman
Jennifer Mills Kerr, What Good Secretaries Do
Claire Ortalda, John Snow
Mary Porter-Chase, In Praise of Dead Leaves
Kay Renz, Custodian
Bart Reynolds, Is. Was. May Be
Bart Reynolds, Question-and-Answer Poem
Brett Robert, The Mandated Reporter
Theresa Ryan, Shasta Dam Prophecy
Floyd Salas, Color of My Living Heart
Joey Sandoval, For Breakfast
Kevin Skahan, Posthumous
Kim Thanh, The Worn Box
Margo van Veen, And All the While The Birds Were Singing
Granny Vee, To Mount Rushmore
Simone Wilson, Reseeding the Prairie

Photographs and Art

Paige Braddock, JW Cat Comics
Edmond Bridant, Contemplation
Edmond Bridant, Edinburgh Fringe II
Edmond Bridant, The Nonconformist
Edmond Bridant, The Reader
Kelly Drake, The Bee Tree
David Janda, Paycheck to Paycheck
Diane Hill, Face in the Garden
Molly Livingston, Legs
Jessica Minghi, Rachel    
Jackie Murphy, Jax—with Keys to the City
Floyd Salas, Line Drawings
Don Silverek, Koi Art
Gordon Yaswen, Mountain-Face

student editors

The following students at Santa Rosa Junior College helped edit and assemble First Leaves 2009.

Jaycob H. Bilecki, Marta Dee, Conor J. Doran, Bryce D. Dow-Williamson, Kelly Dale Drake, Buzz W. Green, Don Hagelberg, Kelly F. Larsen, Tom J. Mariani, Brandon A. McKinney, Robin A. Miller, Jessica A. Minghi, Alex T. Randolph, Tiffany M. Saxe, and Margo van Veen. The faculty adviser is Abby L. Bogomolny.