aaaanyone ever seen the musical "Cats"? Of course you have. Remember that song, the one that makes you want to break down and weep, it's so beautiful and lonely and sad? The on that starts out, "Meeeeemoryyyyy, all aloooone in the moooonliiiiight...." You can practically see her swooning on-stage, overcome with emotion. It's the song that talks, obviously, about memories, and the magnetic pull they are to the past, sometimes to the point of not allowing us to live fully in the present. We're exploring the theme of Memory this month in 31, namely by sharing with you some of our own memories, and our thoughts on memory in all its forms.
aaaaLeilani Grossbauer starts us off with hilarious confessions about her attachment to all forms of man-made memory in Digital Image Junkie. Then check out Holly Beal's thought-provoking recall of past loves in First Impressions, followed by a snapshot of a crush from Marni Myers in Deli Romance. We're pleased to welcome two new contributors to this issue: Mary Frances Colebank invites you to share your own stories in her poem, "An Invitation"; and Juliet Leclerc discusses the idea that what we save tells us about ourselves in her short story, Modern Memory. If all this remembering is making you hungry, check out Marni Myers's story about and recipe for the chocolate-chip cookies that won her a prize at the fair at age seven, Blue-Ribbon Cookies. Finally, you won't want to miss Angie's Column, all about an adorable pooch she just adopted; The Grammarian, continuing to fight against improper verb use; a review of the newest Harry Potter movie; or our Top 31 List, which will remind you just how many things there are to forget in a given day.
aaaaWe're glad you remembered to check out this issue of 31. Don't forget to tell your friends about us. And don't forget to write and tell us what you think. Send your feedback to thirtyonemag@yahoo.com. I'm off to watch the rest of "Cats." Now, where did I put that remote control...?