Whitefish Review launches 14th issue

Author Tim Cahill will kick off the launch of Whitefish Review’s issue No. 14 Saturday with a reading at Casey’s Bar in downtown Whitefish.

Doors open at 7 p.m. with live music by David Noftsinger. Readings start at 7:30 p.m. Young author Kate Ehrenberg will read, as will authors Charles Finn and David Allan Cates, with Cahill completing the live literary presentations.

"Whitefish Review is a reliable beacon of literacy and proves that the brightest lights often shine in the most unexpected places," author Tom McGuane said.

The creative exploration into the theme of hunger and how artists and writers interpret it was led by fiction editor Matt Holloway and guest art editor Michael Haykin.

Issue No. 14 features 38 artists, writers and photographers, weaving a narrative through six poems, 14 stories and 18 pieces of art and photography. A short essay by each artist and photographer brings readers deeper into their creative minds.

The cover of the 160-page journal features "Just One More Little Bite," a rakued clay piece by Whitefish-area artist Stephen Braun that explores the concept of hunger for resources and the idea that just one more little bite will do no harm. A man whose business jacket and pants are covered in the icons of industry and consumption stretches his neck to take one more little bite from planet Earth, which is floating above him.

The back cover features a quilt made from heat-sealed potato chip bags by Brooklyn artist Matthew Paulson. "Emergency Quilts" functions similar to first-aid emergency wraps, with integrated patterns on both sides designed to cloak victims and heroes alike.

Issue No. 14 also features an interview with Cahill and a humorous conversation with authors Cates and Pete Fromm as they discuss the life of the hungry writer. The journal showcases original fiction by both writers.

Cahill is a Livingston writer who was a founding editor of Outside magazine, an early editor of Rolling Stone, and has published nine books. He was also the co-writer of three IMAX films, two of which were nominated for Academy Awards.

Cates is the author of four novels, winner of a Gold Medal for Best Fiction in the 2013 Independent Book Publishers Book Awards and a winner of the 2010 Montana Arts Council's Artist Innovation Award in prose.

Fromm is a four-time winner of the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Literary Award and the author of five short-story collections, three novels and a memoir. In 2013 the film of his novel, “As Cool as I Am,” was released, starring Claire Danes, James Marsden and Sarah Bolger.

Whitefish Review editors selected fiction by first-time author Ehrenberg, who will read from her work at the release party. Ehrenberg is a sophomore at Whitefish High School.

"We take a lot of pride in discovering new artistic talent and showcasing it next to established authors," founding editor Brian Schott said. "It's one of the primary missions of Whitefish Review and makes these release parties especially gratifying."

For the first time since its inception in 2007, Whitefish Review is partnering with Thomas Printing of Kalispelk to print the journal. Thomas Printing was established in 1962, recycles more than 300 tons of paper each year and uses environment-friendly chemicals in the printing process.

"We've always had ambitions on a global scale. We are grounded on our home turf in and the American West, but strive to publish the best literature and art in this increasingly small world," Schott said.

"Working with Frank Thomas and his team feels good because it means our journal is doing just one more small thing for the local community while we continue to think big."

The launch party is sponsored in part by grants from the Whitefish Community Foundation and the Montana Arts Council, an agency of the state government. Good Medicine Lodge, Grouse Mountain Lodge and many individual donors make these events and the publication of the journal possible.

A $10 suggested entry donation is requested to help with operational costs.

Founded in 2007, Whitefish Review is a nationally acclaimed nonprofit journal publishing the distinctive literature, art and photography of mountain culture. It is published twice a year, in December and June. As a recognized 501(c)3 corporation created for the public good, it is supported by tax-deductible donations.

Editors will review new submissions for issue No. 15 from Jan. 1 through March 15. Visit www.whitefishreview.org for more information.