Groundwaters

Groundwaters was begun in October 2004. It was the culmination of a dream that Judy Hays-Eberts of Veneta, Oregon had long envisioned. Judy, a talented poet and writer, had always wanted a way to share not only her own considerable talent with her friends and neighbors, but she wanted to give them a voice, as well. Her husband Sonny encouraged her and agreed to lend whatever support she needed to make it happen.

That first 24 page issue in 2004 was typed on her computer and photocopied. She and Sonny bore all of the expenses for paper and copying for the magazines that she produced. She took them around to local stores in the Veneta area and set up distribution sites. Originally, 300 copies were distributed, but soon, more were needed and eventually, 500 copies found homes.

Judy has produced the issues since that day in 2004, every three months– in January, April, July and October. The initial direction of the magazine, based on rural living and self-sufficiency, gardening and rural skills, gave way to a literary and poetic theme. Snippets of local history, recipes and profiles of local people and businesses gave Groundwaters a community feel, as did emphasis on family-based activities and content. Each issue now averages 32 pages and Sonny has honored his commitment to lend both his moral and financial support to the magazine. Except for generous donations from grateful readers and contributors, he has paid the costs.

After the first couple of issues, both Judy and Sonny felt that they wanted to improve the print quality of the magazine. Copies made on a copy machine did not provide the clearest resolution for the photographs, many of them provided by Sonny who is an amateur photographer. Their goal was to obtain their own printing press, but after further research, they decided to buy a commercial Hewlett Packard HP-5200 printer that would handle 11″ x 17″ paper. One was donated to them by a grateful reader. Today, the printer cranks out between 500-800 copies each issue for distribution not only throughout Lane County, Oregon, but to areas outside of the state.

The next posting will introduce you to Groundwaters Publishing, LLC… and then on to profiles of the staff and contributors and samples of some of their work.

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Refractory; Into the Mirrorworks
By Judy Hays-Eberts
(published in the very first issue of Groundwaters)