N C L R ONLINE
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NOrth carolina: a state of change, a changing state Canadian transplanted to Greenville, NC, to teach medieval literature in the English Department at ECU, writes about finding a South much changed from the South she had read about in literature. And speaking of changes, the end of 2012 brought the retirement of Lorraine Hale Robinson, NCLR senior associate editor for the past fifteen years. Lorraine offered her services my first year as editor, so I cannot imagine NCLR without her. I have introduced her to the student staff each semester with “This is ‘ask LR’” to explain a common notation they would find penciled in the margin of manuscripts. Lorraine may not have had a ready answer for every odd query we directed her way, but she always knew where to look, making “Ask LR” our form of Googling when we didn’t quite know what the search terms were. She has also proofread the content of fifteen issues through each stage, from the original Word file submissions to the final designed issues. I have come to count on Lorraine to recognize (when no one else had even thought to check) the tiniest erroneous detail in stories, including a misidentified aircraft and an anachronistic gun. She also served as my editor, responding candidly to the many author, issue, and event introductions I have written over the years. Her departure is bittersweet; she has earned her retirement, and we all wish Lorraine the very best in the next chapter of her life, but as I draft this issue’s introductions, I already miss her. Change is often inspired by people like Lorraine Robinson and Jake Mills, just as it is by a new generation coming to a project. In this online supplemental issue and the year’s print issue to follow this summer, you will find ample evidence of how the legacies of dedicated people continue to inspire even after they are gone. n
6 Orgullos, Chicanas, and Chilangos, Y’all: Where Are North Carolina’s Latino/a Writers? an essay by Joan Conwell 12 Stone-Bound and Fish Store Mural Relocated two poems by Mark Smith-Soto art by Luis German Ardila 14 Mountain Magic: An Interview with Sarah Addison Allen by Hal McDonald 26 Reflections of an Accidental Citizen of “the New South” an essay by Nicole Nolan Sidhu 38 North Carolina, This Will Be the Last Poem a poem by Samantha Lee Deal art by Diana H. Bloomfield 40 The Shower a short story by Ronald Jackson art by Robert Tynes
also IN THIS ISSUE 46 n Flashbacks: Echoes of Past Issues poetry, fiction, nonfiction, book reviews, literary news, and an interview 11 n North Carolina Miscellany 1 more fiction, book reviews, and literary news