I’m going to start a blog today. My goal for the blog will be to discuss our experiences in working with amateur writers and artists through Groundwaters, a literary magazine. There are six of us who volunteer our time and services to get the magazine out each quarter in the first weeks of January, April, July and October.

For this first blog entry, I will just tell you about Groundwaters and why we are in existence. I’m not trying to sell it to anyone… in fact, between 500-800 copies Groundwaters are distributed free throughout Lane County. We do sell subscriptions to those not able to pick one up at a local distributor, but we are not trying to make a profit from it.

Our main goal is to showcase the considerable amateur, and some professional, talent that we have in Lane County, Oregon. Many of our contributors are made up of writers and artists of all ages who have always loved to write or draw, but have never really taken the time to try to get published. Their families and friends have frequently told them how well they write and they have usually been encouraged for years to write a book or enter their drawings in the Lane County Fair. Some are extremely talented. Some are not. But, all have stories to tell and emotions and experiences to share through their poetry, fiction, non-fiction, essays, biographies, profiles, local histories, photography and artwork. Some of our submissions are folksy; others are cerebral, thoughtful, entertaining, sad, funny, uplifting, depressing, cute or educational, but all come from the heart of the writer and artist. We don’t publish controversial subjects – no political or religious opinion pieces, no extreme violence or profanity. Our goal is not to sell our ideas to others… it is to share with our readers, through our pages, the collective experiences and knowledge of our writers and their respect for people they have known.

Through this blog, I want to tell you more about Groundwaters – how it got started, where it’s going and who the people are who work on it. I hope to share some of the writings and artwork that have been published on our pages. I’d like to profile some of our authors and artists and give you “ticklers” on what’s going to be included in the next issues. It’s very likely that some of our other staff members will add postings from time to time, as well.

So, please check back each week for a new posting!