PeoriaStory

Downstate Story published

PEORIA, IL --From a news release:

DOWNSTATE STORY VOL. 24 NOW AVAILABLE FREE ON THE WEB

Ten new short stories by Illinois, Midwestern and other writers are featured in the 2015 edition of Downstate Story, Peoria's only literary magazine for fiction. Downstate Story is now published only on the Web at www.downstatestory.com

The writers in this issue are Pepper Bauer of Mapleton, IL; Susan Duke of East Peoria, IL; Paul Cioe of Rock Island, IL; Marie Anderson of LaGrange, IL; Margaret Lisle of Beverly Shores, IN; Rebecca Lane of Anderson, IN; Margaret Brinton of San Diego, CA; Thomas Lane of Forest Hills, NY; Harris Leonard of North Bethesda, MD; and Steve Slavin of Brooklyn, NY.

These outstanding writers include several with long lists of publications in other literary magazines, and some have authored books.

Published by Downstate Story, Inc., an Illinois not-for-profit corporation, the annual publication aims to present original fiction by Illinois writers and writers with ties to Illinois and the Midwest as a quality alternative to today's mass-market publishing.

For this Web edition, readers are asked for donations to help defray publishing costs. All writers are paid for their work.

Downstate Story’s Facebook page can be accessed at www.Facebook.com/downstatestory

 

 

Bluffs Literary Magazine begins

PEORIA -- A new literary magazine debuted June 6 with a celebration at the cozy, independent Peoria Heights bookstore I Know You Like A Book.

The 44-page magazine called Bluffs contains mostly poetry with one short story and one essay that reads like a short story. It's a classy publication, with art, put together by Danielle Hatch, a Peoria Journal Star journalist with a degree in creative writing, and Jim Sullivan, who teaches English at Illinois Central College.

It features 15 central Illinois writers, and includes two poems by Kevin Stein of Bradley University, poet laureate of Illinois.

The bookstore event included not only selected readings from Bluffs, but interesting discussion. When someone asked, "What makes a good poem?" the answers were evocative.

"Poems hit an emotional sweet spot with a reader."

"Word play."

"Something surprising that I have never seen before."

My take:  Like a good piece of journalism, a good poem slaps you in the face. You remember the phrases, and may see them oft repeated. 

Poetry is sometimes ignored in today's fast paced world.  That's a mistake. Every song, almost every book title,and even many ads contain poetic phrases that will be recognized and recalled by an educated person. Poets change our perceptions and our memories of history. They are worth reading and cherishing.

Bluffs costs only $5, and can be contacted via Facebook or at [email protected].

  - Elaine Hopkins

Food, barns, Haiti -- Peoria writers tell the truth

PEORIA -- Here are three important stories from Peoria writers. They seem different but ultimately they are are all connected to food -- and human well being.

1.  Wholesome Food Fund,  by Clare Howard  [email protected]

 The newly created Wholesome Food Fund looks at bunches of Chioggia beets, ears of bicolor  sweet corn and heads of German hardneck garlic and sees a metric for economic, environmental and social benefit.

 Wholesome Food Fund was established in July at Community Foundation of Central Illinois and is geared toward encouraging people receiving federal food assistance to shift a portion of their spending from convenience stores and corporate chain stores that receive food from thousands of miles away to Peoria Riverfront Market.

More than 40 million Americans receive help from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly referred to as food stamps. Data at the Illinois Department of Human Services shows about 43,000 people in Peoria, Woodford and Tazewell counties are enrolled in the program. Kaiser Health News has calculated the average benefit for people living in Illinois is $139 a month. That’s nearly $6 million a month.

Shifting some of that $6 million to local farmers markets is a powerful economic stimulant.

For each dollar spent at corporate chain stores, the local economic impact is about 20 cents, according to a former graduate student in economics at Illinois State University. For each dollar spent at farmers markets, the local economic impact is $1.34, his study found. That’s because of the multiplier effect.  

To provide an incentive to shift spending, the Wholesome Food Fund will double the value of Link card/food assistance dollars spent at Peoria Riverfront Markets. Since the market sells produce grown in Illinois, that means a reduction in emissions from shipping food thousands of miles. Since the market sells produce grown by the vendor, that means food is not coming from large corporate farms with huge mono-crop acreage requiring aerial and ground application of pesticides that create pesticide drift. Fresh nutritious produce that replaces processed food in the diet helps fight obesity, a looming local and national epidemic that could cripple the health care system in this country.

Yet another overarching value of encouraging people to switch from convenience and corporate chains to Peoria Riverfront Market is the value of establishing relationships with farmers who grow food. That strengthens community and strengthens respect.   

 If you’re convinced you benefit by encouraging people to spend their federal food assistance dollars at Peoria Riverfront Market (and virtually everyone in the community does either directly or indirectly), please make a tax-deductible contribution to Community Foundation of Central Illinois (earmarked for the Wholesome Food Fund), 331 Fulton St., Suite 310, Peoria, IL 61602.  For more information on the foundation go to: http://www.communityfoundationci.org/   -30-

2.  Here's a link to a fabulous feature story by Clare Howard, published in the Springfield Journal Register.  It's about a 100-year-old barn, and more.

3.  From the wealth and food riches of central Illinois to the impoverished nation of Haiti:

Peoria's Dr. John Carroll, a physician who volunteers in Haiti, has written a fascinating and troubling story for the national magazine Counterpunch about his experiences there. It involves the absence of the food we all take for granted.

  -- Elaine Hopkins

 Clare Howard comments via email:

Thank you for posting these three articles together. Dr. John Carroll's tale is incredible. Together these articles make a pretty good argument against chemical processed food that makes profit for corporations but hurts the environment and human health. Monsanto tried to give Haiti GMO seed. Such a proposed gift stirred up lots of controversy. Critics charged it was the ultimate marketing . . . to get a poor country hooked on GMO that would spread throughout the island, even to farmers who never planted it and don't want it. But because GMO seed is patented, it must be purchased. GMO seed is also sterile, so farmers are forced to buy seed each year and all the pesticides the seed was designed to require.  Clare Howard