Nikki Giovanni

Artemis Nikki Giovanni

Artemis: Her History and Rebirth After 20 years of publishing Artemis, year 2000 marked more than the end of the 20th century and the beginning of a new millennium. It also marked the end of a respected and distinguished small press journal. Artemis was one of the few publications in southwest Virginia to provide an off campus literary and arts presence in our communities. After fourteen years of retirement, 2013 began her journey back into publication. Today, Artemis2014 has been reborn to celebrate and give voice to artists and writers in the Blue Ridge Mountains and beyond. The origin of Artemis is rooted in social activism, starting in 1977 as a writing workshop for the T. A. P. Women's Center in Roanoke, Virginia. It's founder, Jeri Nolan Rogers, encouraged women in the group to express themselves through poetry and other art genres as a therapeutic tool. For the first few years of publication, Artemis showcased the work of women from this group. In 1979 the journal expanded its scope to include men and the community art large. Throughout its history, Artemis presented many educational and cultural events: school mentorship programs, an annual Winter Lights Festival, live readings at Hollins University and other venues such as the Art Museum of Western Virginia, Mill Mountain Theatre, the Blue Ridge Writer's Conference and more. Artemis was also a place for many contributors to debut their work. They were published side by side with national and state poet laureates, a Pulitzer Prize nominee, a T. S. Eliot prize winner, VCA and VCCA literary prize winners, an NAACP Image Award recipient, and numerous other award winners. Continuing the tradition, Artemis 2014 is presenting a number of first-time-published poets and artists. Along with many distinguished, published contributors, we are especially honored to present the work of our guest poet Nikki Giovanni, and guest photographer Sam Krisch. Their contributions to poetry and art are unparalleled. We, the editors, proudly present a new and resurrected Artemis. We hope that you enjoy this 2014 edition and many more to follow. Artemis, P. O. Box 505, Floyd, VA 24091 ArtemisJournal.org