Writing the stories in our heads takes us into our souls. It lets us dive into the deep waters of the unconsciousness to plumb whatever it is that lives there, lets us find out what needs attention as well as what we can leave to lie still forever. Writing our stories takes us on a profound inner journey where we learn about our world and ourselves. Writing our stories also opens windows into other lives. Writing our stories connects us.

The Spring 2008 issue of SHARK REEF brings you the writing of eleven San Juan Islands writers in poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction. You’ll find excerpts from four books in progress, one of them a young adult novel; a tale about leaving the family home as an adult; the memoir of a young woman trying to untangle all the difficulties that came with growing up as an albino; and a book about people who work with their hands. Two of the stories featured deal with life and death.

And there’s poetry, too. Rich and audacious. The writing in this issue deals with big—and universal—issues. Whatever your life has been, you will find something from it in these pages.

So we say… write on!