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Welcome.
It’s a word that reaches out. A word that holds a door open. One that beckons you to come closer. Come in. Welcome. I want to introduce you to __________.
In this greeting the “__________” are two newcomers. Yes, RWW, meet new core faculty member, Oliver de la Paz—a fantastic poet and maker-of-beauty-through-words. Oliver, meet the writing tribe that is Rainier Writing Workshop. And RWW, meet our 2015 guest faculty member—an amazing memoirist and poet, Julie Marie Wade. Julie Marie Wade, meet the family that is Rainier Writing Workshop.
Welcome.
As the Soundings team prepared this issue, I had the pleasure of picking Oliver’s brain about writing and what fuels him. I also had the joy of reading Julie’s craft essay that complicates, considers, explores and blurs that permeable boundary between poetry and essay. While we didn’t ask these new faculty members to discuss genre-bending, both writers touch on the subject: Oliver on music that flows into writing, Julie on poetics that inundate essays. And graduating participant, Andrea Clausen, breaks the boundary between text and reader as she invites us to discuss at residency the ways in which we find time to write. Andrea opens the door of communication, calling us to bring our experiences together.
Welcome.
Whether we’re crossing boundaries, using words to encourage, or meeting new faculty members in our community, our constant pulses throughout residency and the rest of the year will be to cheer each other on and to applaud each other for going after our passions. Soon, we will all congregate and mingle to spur these actions. We’ll revel in and absorb all of our great words. So come on in. The party’s about to begin.
Welcome.
–Chelsey Clammer, July 2015
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