Web magazine co-edited in Magalia features Chico artist, Paradise poet

By DAN BARNETT

Lara Gularte is co-editor of the Web-only magazine called Convergence (www.convergence-journal.com); the Spring/Summer 2007 issue is now online.

Gularte moved to Magalia from San Jose in 2004. "However," she writes me, "my parents have lived in Magalia since 1983 so I am no stranger to the area. & I also host the monthly Poets on the Ridge poetry readings in Paradise." A poet herself, Gularte's work can be found at www.laragularte.com-a.googlepages.com.

The current issue of Convergence, Gularte writes, "features a local artist, Caitlin Schwerin. Much of her art was inspired by the landscapes of the Chico area, & art that will remind you of home. One of our poets, Shana Youngdahl, is a native of Paradise and a graduate of Paradise High School. Her poem, 'Walking the Sutter Buttes,' was inspired by a hike she took with her dad when she was 14 years old."

The poem contains striking lines:

You help me to where
the wind lives, and below
California spreads the
sky.
My arms are pale, body
losing its form,
in this long
December,
I'm half-way to 14.
Above our great valley
I hear your deep
laugh
talk to cattle; it almost shakes
trees, and I know I will
forgive
you, everything.

The mission of Convergence, Gularte says, "is to unify the literary and visual arts and draw new interpretations of the written word by pairing poems and short fiction with complementary art. We keep the Web site free of clutter in order to better showcase the art and literature. In submissions to the journal we look for freshness, originality and a mastery of craft. Since 2003 Convergence has attracted national and international attention."

Convergence is ad free: "We do it for the joy of sharing quality art and literature with others by means of the Web. & Convergence's webmaster, Luis Ledesma, works as a mathematics and engineering professor at the National Hispanic University in San Jose. Elaine Bartlett, co-editor of Convergence, is a fiction editor for the literary journal, Meridian. I am a retired Santa Clara County public guardian/court investigator. I received my MFA degree from San Jose State University in 2006. I teach writing classes at Paradise Parks and Recreation and work as a tutor part time. From 2005 to 2006 I was a tutor at the Center for Academic Success at Butte College."

Click on the cover art by Caitlin Schwerin, entitled "E Neuf is E Neuf," and then scroll to the bottom to see information about free subscriptions and submission guidelines.

Convergence is a site to savor.

Dan Barnett teaches philosophy at Butte College. To submit review copies of published books, please send e-mail to dbarnett@maxinet.com. Copyright 2007 Chico Enterprise-Record. Used by permission.