“What we don’t say becomes a secret, and secrets often
create shame and fear and myths.” – Eve Ensler
It was this logic that led Eve to write and perform the now
iconic Vagina Monologues, a source of
inspiration for the formation of this literary journal. The myths explored in
this issue of Cliterature go beyond
the myths of vaginas and women’s sexuality, however. There are examinations of
traditional Greek and Roman gods and goddesses by a number of contributors:
Brooke Axtell and her Goddess Cycle
series, David Landrum’s short story “Nemesis,” Maude Larke’s “Pallas,” and
Merri Loftin’s “Persephone’s Day.” There are other mythical creatures, like
mermaids in Max Valentonis’ “Lost in Urban Landscaping #17” alongside serious
considerations like “My Dream About Being Black,” by Melissa Hamilton, which
probes the myth of white complacency and ignorance. Others intersect previous
themes covered by Cliterature, like
“Echo Finds Her Voice” by Christina Lovin. Some look at myths swirling around
taboo subjects, like Dagny McKinley’s “The Spinster” or my own book review of Flow:
The Cultural Story of Menstruation. As
we delve into the myths and the heritage they represent, let us also remember
Rebecca Buchanan’s rallying cry found in her “Hymn to Athena I”: “Traitor
Goddess/Yes you Athena/I call you out.”
Let us call out the rest of the myths and purge them of
secrets, shame, and fear.
Lynn Brewer
Founding Editor
