Remember that little guy in a cartoon, it was a Christmas special if my fried brain remembers right, who said “Busy, busy, busy!” Well, that’s been the life of the people at Liquid Imagination. Usually our publisher, John “JAM” Arthur Miller, prepares the introduction. It’s a chance for him to reconnect with our readers and he does a super job of discussing issues important to readers and writers. As usual, about a month ago I asked him to prepare something, knowing that he’s up to his eyeballs in school and family. And, as usual, he said “Sure.” Yesterday, however, after a month of NaNoWriMo and his last semester at school with his teachers throwing stuff at him left and right, and with his personal life chomping and gulping any spare time he has, he had to say “Uncle.” So, here I am, delighted to publish Liquid Imagination Issue 11, and nervous, but honored, about writing the intro.

I write, therefore I’m a writer? At least that’s what people say. These days, though, I find I’m writing less and working with visual arts more. I love to write, but I also love to learn new things, take classes, build websites, create story illustrations and make flash movies; so writing has, unfortunately, taken a backseat.

Backseat or no, it is when a new issue of Liquid Imagination is done and I read again, for my own pleasure, the stories and poems and articles we are so blessed to have, that I miss writing fiction the most. I envy the way Nicomedes Austin Suárez creates a new world with just a few words and engages his readers in “Leaving Home,” or how A.M. Arruin, in “Trespass,” hooks me with “His heart was black.” We have so many talented writers contribute to LI. For example: “They changed the mountains/and made the rivers to run backward.” Isn’t that great? That quote is two lines from Kevin Heaton’s “Cherokee.”

There’s no way I can quote or discuss all of the super lines, stories, poems, flash fiction and articles included in this issue of LI. You will need to read and discover them yourselves. Kevin Wallis, our Editor-in-Chief, has outdone himself with his selections of stories, and Brandon Rucker’s selections of flash leave me wanting more. Chrissy Davis, our poetry goddess, takes my breath away with her picks. While you are here, be sure to listen to Bob Eccles narrate the Speculative and Literary fiction stories. Close your eyes and let your imagination flows as his words fill your mind.

In our article section, Creativity Coach Dare Kent discusses how creativity and inspiration takes time and, very often, collaboration. Jezzy Wolfe enters the fray with two book reviews. Also not to be missed in this same section is AJ Browns article “To Write.” He says “We all write for our own reasons, but for most of us, it’s for you, the readers.  And if we’ve touched even one of you with our words, then that’s a success story if I ever heard of one…”

I couldn’t have said it better. So I’ll add just one word to that – ENJOY!

~Sue Babcock~
Managing Editor