During their stay in this world, artists feel compelled to express their experience of this earth. When you see Liz Wessel's art in the Journal you know that she has applied her gifts to share something that will touch our hearts.

   When you hear an aria from Madame Butterfly, you know that Puccini expressed something so exquisite that it thrills us to this day. When you see the one surviving photo of Emily Dickinson, you sense a gentle woman. Her poetry reflects a rich spirt both gentle and strong. 

   In music, photographs, film and poetry, we can share together things we may encounter separately. Amid the brutality of the world that stains this spring we can open our hearts to gentle things.

-Erie Chapman

Photographs by Erie Chapman