“Exploring New Vistas” is the theme for Issue 79 of Kaleidoscope. Exploration moves us both inward and outward. Contributors to this issue invite readers along on journeys of self-actualization as well as introducing distant vistas that beckon with new perspectives. We think you will appreciate the thought-provoking essays, stories, and poems that will make great reading on lazy summer days at home or while away on vacation.
Our featured essay in this issue is Brandon Lomenzo Black’s “Globetrotting with a Stutter,” which recounts his travel abroad as he notes cultural similarities and distinctions that lead him to reflect on the significance of verbal communication. Coming to terms with his stammer on the other side of the world creates new channels of communication with non-native English speakers of the region. Black considers his stutter to be a door, rather than a wall. This realization provides newfound independence that frees him from the label of being “tongue-tied” at a time when he needs key information to traverse the city where he is a visitor during a time of political intensity.
Julie Guirgis shares a common, yet personal, experience of reflecting on old photographs and the narrative they represent about a family’s journey through good times and bad in “Photo Album.” The photos are arranged in her memory like a collage as she revisits nostalgic events in her loved ones’ past.
Artist Amanda LaMunyon learned at an early age to express her impressions through the medium of painting (mostly acrylic). Her art became the tool with which she describes her perspectives on life that are framed within her Asperger’s syndrome diagnosis.
Our fiction selection includes “The Mission” by Dan Linssen, which is a story about coming to terms with life’s limitations, and the importance of dignity and choices on individual terms.
“The Spare Room” by A. M. Todd offers an insightful perspective on the captivating force of OCD and its potential impact on a person’s life and relationships.
A variety of poems and other thought-provoking pieces also appear in this issue. These selections tempt us to pause and savor shared experiences or new approaches to celebrating life in its various manifestations.
Reflection on previous experiences and exploration of new ideas offer seasonal literary fruits as well as pave new paths of discovery and adventure in the amazing world of Kaleidoscope. We hope you enjoy these summer reading pleasures, and that together, we can appreciate the exciting new vistas that open to us through the creativity of our contributors.
Read issue 79 of Kaleidoscope here!