Special Reading Issue
August 1997

• What Canst Thou Say
  Anne-Marie Zilliacus
• Remedial Visioning
  Paige Prichard Kennedy
• Le Quinze Zoo
  Clive Doucet
• His and Hers
  Beth Brenneman
• Transformation, For Pearl               
  Joanne Monti

Canadian Friend home page

Quakers have always been comfortable with words. Through the journals of many Friends we have been able to share visions, to glance at the richness of their spiritual lives. Art and literature are a way for expressing the presence of the Spirit in our lives. I agree with Clive Sansom's words in Quaker Faith and Practice:

"I feel that the creation of poetry is not unlike the upsurging of words in a Quaker Meeting. First, heart and mind must be prepared - and the emotional and mental preparation for art is something which few non-artists realise. Then there is the waiting, perhaps for months, because poetry cannot be forced: it is an act of imagination, not of will ... and then at last comes the moment of certainty, accompanied usually by some physical action, and the words begin to flow."

Clive Sansom, 1965 (Quaker Faith & Practice, 21.40)

He was talking about poetry, but could have been talking about any of the arts. Nowadays we do not deny the arts a place in our lives, as earlier Quakers did. There are many artists, writers, and poets among us. I knew that, but in the three years I have been editing The Canadian Friend, I have not had a lot of luck finding people to contribute artwork for publication. This issue shows that they are there, artists with lots of talent -- and poets and writers. I have been delighted with all the response. In fact, I have been overwhelmed and have not been able to print everything. And I have loved working on the larger format. It is like a new palette.

What do you think about The Canadian Friend? Do you like this new format (still an experiment - back to the regular size next issue) or are you outraged by the change? Please let me know. Your reaction will tell me if I should make this reading issue an annual event -- and whether I should change the format permanently. I shall also be facilitating a Special Interest Group at Canadian Yearly Meeting (on Friday, August 22^nd) on The Canadian Friend. I want to share my experience with the magazine, how it is produced, how it compares to other Quaker journals, what new directions it could take, how it helps bind the Yearly Meeting together. It is our main communication tool and I think we should think about how we use it and whether we do the best we can with it. Please come if you have a chance.

This is also the issue in which we make an appeal for contributions to The Canadian Friend. Please take a few minutes to respond. The letter and coupon are on the last page.

AMZ