A quick note to our valued Blue Heron Review readers and contributors:
Our Winter 2019 issue (BHR #11) will be delayed. We are expecting an early March release. Thank you for your patience. It will be worth the wait!
With kind wishes,
Cristina M. R. Norcross, Founding Editor
Blue Heron Review
(Blue Heron Review logo artwork by Daniel Adams)
It is with a very heavy heart that I share the news of the passing of one of our beloved contributing artists for Blue Heron Review, Leilani Carroll. Leilani was the cover artist for Blue Heron Issue 6 and was also a contributing photographer for issues 7 and 8. Leilani was one of the kindest, gentlest people I knew. We developed a treasured friendship over the past few years, and I will miss her dearly. When I heard the news today that Leilani was no longer with us, I wanted to pay tribute to her memory, her bright spirit, and the light of kindness which she shared with others. In this special post for Blue Heron Review, I would like to share Leilani’s work from our magazine with our readers, as well as her biography. May her light keep shining—for all of us still finding our way.
Leilani Carroll had an appreciation for all things “nature” for as long as she could remember, but birds of all species were her passion. Leilani was a retired RN who adapted her photography around the limitations of living many years with young onset Parkinson’s Disease. Despite her disability, she thought “outside the box” to find ways to capture many of her images. Always using the opportunity to give credit to our Creator for the beauty that can be found in everyday life. Leilani lived in Birmingham, Alabama with her husband, Gary, with the good fortune to have a small lake in back and a neighborhood that adjoins a 10,000 acre state park. She was delighted when any of her photos could spotlight “Alabama the beautiful” and the treasures it holds for those who look, listen, and linger.
(photo by Leilani Carroll / BHR Issue 8)
(photo by Leilani Carroll, BHR Issue 7)
(cover photo by Leilani Carroll, BHR Issue 6)
Welcome to the February 2019 edition of Blue Heron Speaks! Our featured author this month is poet Kersten Christianson, author of What Caught Raven’s Eye (Petroglyph Press, 2018) and Something Yet to Be Named (Aldrich Press, 2017). These are breathtaking poems of music, light, and nature’s dance. Words float and flicker across the page, as we breathe in these notes on life, filled with sumptuous details. You will want to read, savor, and re-read these poems. A delight to the eyes, ears, and heart—these poems truly sing!
Please visit the Blue Heron Speaks page of our site to read 3 sample poems by Kersten Christianson and to learn more about her work.
Kersten Christianson is a raven-watching, moon-gazing, Alaskan. When not exploring the summer lands and dark winter of the Yukon, she lives in Sitka, Alaska. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing (University of Alaska Anchorage). Kersten has authored two books of poetry: What Caught Raven’s Eye (Petroglyph Press, 2018) and Something Yet to Be Named (Aldrich Press, 2017). She is also the poetry editor of the quarterly journal, Alaska Women Speak. Blog: www.kerstenchristianson.com Twitter: @kerstenak
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