This issue’s theme, Aging, is one that everyone can have a perspective about: we all age. And the passages of aging offer us opportunities along the way to assess and recalibrate what we are doing with what poet Mary Oliver calls our “one wild and precious life.” When I offered to guest edit this issue, I had just celebrated my 65th birthday and was being a bit introspective about life and relationships, so it felt a good fit to bring this topic to the BWQ pages to ponder. It’s important to embrace the fact of aging in our lives, because as the saying goes, “consider the alternative.”
I want to thank all of the contributors for sharing their insights into our theme. We have compelling essays, poetry, fiction, and even a wonderful comic about ageism from the amazing Aubrey Hirsch! There is a particularly rich assortment of poems in this issue (over a dozen!) that explores aging from many different perspectives. And to highlight the changes that we all experience, many of our contributors shared two representations of themselves, providing a fun visual connection in the bios. I hope you enjoy taking it all in!
Ellyn Ruthstrom
Boots finds BWQ very comforting. Send a picture of yourself reading BWQ to biwomeneditor@gmail.com.
Be creative!