Vine Leaves Literary Journal -- ISSUE ONE!

I am so pleased to share with you Vine Leaves Literary Journal, from the creative minds of Jessica Bell and Dawn Ius.

Vine Leaves seeks to fill a gap that is overlooked by other journals. From its home page:

The world of literature nowadays is so diverse, open-minded and thriving in experimental works, that there doesn’t seem to be any single form of written art missing from it ... you would think. But there is. 

The vignette. 

It’s rare for a literary magazine to accept the "vignette" as a publishable piece of literature. Why? Because it is not a “proper story.” We beg to differ. 

So, what is a vignette? 

"Vignette" is a word that originally meant "something that may be written on a vine-leaf." It’s a snapshot in words. It differs from flash fiction or a short story in that its aim doesn’t lie within the traditional realms of structure or plot. Instead, the vignette focuses on one element, mood, character, setting or object. It's descriptive, excellent for character or theme exploration and wordplay. Through a vignette, you create an atmosphere. 

Vine Leaves, will entwine you in atmosphere; wrap you in a world where literature ferments and then matures … 

Jessica is the author of String Bridge, a novel about a woman's desire to return to her musical roots, and Twisted Velvet Chains, a collection of poetry. Jessica produced an original CD "sound track" to go with String Bridge. She also maintains a hugely successful blog. Just this week, she learned she'll be hosting the Annual Steinbeck Festival in Ithaca (not NY, the island of… Jessica is an Australian living in Greece).  And now she and Dawn have  given other writers (and illustrators) a venue for their work. After earning a degree in journalism, Dawn ventured into corporate communications, marketing, and public relations and currently co-owns Bridge Social Media. (She writes as well!)


I'm happy to say that one of my illustrations and one of my photographs were accepted into the first issue as was one of my husband, Mark's, poems. I'm not going to post my inclusions here, because I'd really like you to visit the online journal and see for yourself what is in it. The issue comes out Friday, January 6th, 2012! Here's the link again: www.vineleavesliteraryjournal.com


~ Janice


PS: Some of my friends will be in this first issue, so it will be very special to me. Their complete bios and website links are accessible through Vine Leave's website.


Angela Felsted
Glynis Smy
J.R.McRae
Laurel Garver
Madeline Sharples
Mark Van Aken Williams 
Matthew MacNish
Michelle Davidson Argyle
Nicole Ducleroir 
Sheri Larsen
Stephen Parrish