The NightWriter Review: Winter 2024/2025

The NightWriter Review is the literary journal of San Luis Obispo NightWriters ("SLO NightWriters"), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission of nurturing the Central Coast writing community and providing writing education, opportunities, resources, workshops, and scholarships. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of this book go to SLO NightWriters, a support group for writers and poets based in San Luis Obispo, California. The NightWriter Review, Volume 1, Issue 1, Winter 2024/2025, is a literary journal showcasing a diverse range of voices and styles from members and non-members of the SLO NightWriters, a writing organization based in San Luis Obispo, California. This inaugural issue memorializes the winning entries from the annual Golden Quill Writing Contest in print for the first time, alongside other works of merit and general submissions. The journal aims to provide readers with memorable, thought-provoking, and entertaining examples of the writing craft, while also inspiring writers at all levels. Fiction: The first-place winner, "Sounds Like Joni Mitchell" by S.S. Presby, tells the story of a man saying goodbye to his dying dog. The second-place winner, "The Lila Segovia Smile" by Anne R. Allen, is about a woman who reinvents herself and connects with her favorite author. Other fiction pieces include "The Mary Taft Mystery" by Kevin Carver, "Devil Cut" by Robert Morgan Fisher, and "The Essence" by Christine Ahern. Nonfiction: The first-place winner, "My Favorite Animal Is A Harbor Seal" by Michele L. Roest, recounts a childhood experience of caring for an orphaned seal pup with her father. "My Wrinkled Brain" by Rusty Evans, the second-place winner, explores the changes that occur in the aging brain. "The Stoic Parent" by T.K. Schuberth received an honorable mention, and reflects on parenting during a crisis. "Ninety Miles From Normal" by Christina Dillow, tells a personal story of surviving a life-threatening health crisis. Poetry: The issue features works such as "Memory of an Unnamed Color" and "An Old Friend Calls to Tell Me About The Death of Another Old Friend" by L.I. Henley, "Game Time," "Exploration," and "A New Tune" by Misty Wycoff, "What I Miss Most" by Lewis Leicher, "The Light of Luna Madre" by C.S. Perryess, poems by Andréa Ferrell Gannon, "A Horse Ran Amok" by Shari Neva Hollander, and "Mother-Daughter Luncheon" by Debra Davis Hinkle. The journal also includes an editor's note from Harvey Ardman, the Editor-in-Chief, who ex