Letter From The Editor

              Welcome to the sixth issue of White Enso. 
                                  To get the full benefit of this journal,
                             it is best to view it on a computer or tablet.

                                                                                                      
It's not possible that White Enso will celebrate its two-year anniversary in January, and yet, White Enso will celebrate its two-year anniversary in January. The quality of work from the first issue has been exemplary, exceeding my already high expectations, and this issue is no exception (wow, I managed to include four, count them--FOUR--words beginning with 'ex' in one sentence.)

Issue 6 launches the White Enso awards. Each issue will select one outstanding work in each of the fiction, non-fiction, visual arts, poetry, and Japanese-style poetry categories. This issue's winners are Brian Watson's "Bending Time" for non-fiction, Roberta Beary's "Timeline" for Japanese-style poetry (haibun), Anne Whitehouse's "Being Ruth Asawa" for poetry, and Elisa Teriana's two haiga for Visual Art.

The wonderful thing about White Enso, though, is that it is really hard to choose winners because all the contributions to the journal are extraordinary (another 'ex' word). Many took this issue's suggested theme of "Again" literally, writing about visiting Japan more than once, such as Sravanthi Challapalli's "Back to Japan," which includes a little toilet humor, and "Study Abroad," David A. Hewitt's sentimental essay. Others took a more subtle approach: Kit Pancoast Nagamura's atmospheric poem "Revisiting" summons those mysterious traces of others that we feel when visiting old sacred spaces, and Kartika Lestari's "Silent Witness" is an ode to the lone tree that survived the Great East Japan tsunami of 2011 and a warning to future generations. 

​Finally, with the holidays approaching, you're likely to have more time to read. I highly recommend Hiromi Ito's The Thorn Puller. I think you will find this book fascinating, unusual, and thought-provoking.

As I've recommended before, take your time with each contribution to White Enso, for each one is thought-provoking. Feel free to contact me with feedback to make the journal even better, and please sign up for our newsletter to learn of future deadlines. I'd love to see how Japan has inspired you.

Linda A. Gould
Managing Editor
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All photos in White Enso are by Linda Gould unless otherwise noted.

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Table of Contents                                                                                                                                         Page One