Jane Valencia

Invitation To Divide
Editorial Page

Invitation To Divide

The Vashon Loop has a fun series called, “What Brought You to the Island?” Such arrival stories often include surprising and unique details, but there is also a common thread – a desire for community. What is community? Is it the mere presence of other human beings? Is it the roads, mailboxes, parks, and stores?…

Rose Hip and Snowberry – Part 1
Children, Literary

Rose Hip and Snowberry – Part 1

Once upon a time, the world changes. On an Island like this one, forest and mist reclaim the land, technology falls away, and certain names disappear. Calling out to her two children to come home, a mother puzzles in mid-holler as she forgets their names. Noticing the two bushes on either side of the front…

Finn and The Salmon Of Wisdom
Children, Literary

Finn and The Salmon Of Wisdom

A retelling of an Irish mythIllustration above by Jane Valencia Here on Vashon Island, now is the time that the salmon return home after long years in the ocean. Up streams and rivers they swim and leap and lunge, taking in deep scents of the waters along the way, smells that reach into their beginnings…

Land Acknowledgment – Salmon Return
Island Voices

Land Acknowledgment – Salmon Return

Welcome back, dear Salmon! We celebrate your return to our Island. We honor the end and beginning of your life cycle, and the wonder of your transformation. You feed the waters and forest, the creatures of sea, land, and air, as well as us humans You nourish our bodies, brains, and imagination, our spirits and…

Poetry for The Light And The Beautiful Dark
Literary

Poetry for The Light And The Beautiful Dark

Please enjoy a poem by Margaret Roncone and two poems by Claudia Hollander-Lucas. Autumn Light lengthening shadowsdiscard bright lightstore it in acupboard for next June what I notice andpause to studyare narrators ofa fresh storyunfolding in pebbled graveldried grassand moon’s play on stone. By Margaret Roncone Margaret Roncone: I write poetry daily because of a…

Announcements

Welcome to Issue #2

Printed newspapers arrive on the Island today, and will be delivered to numerous businesses and other locations throughout the Island. Are you a fan from over the water? Or are you an Islander who doesn’t want to wait for your copy? For a newspaper experience (the closest you can get!) read The Vashon Loop, Vol….

Beyond the End of the Line
Commentary

Beyond the End of the Line

In this article I attempt to use terminology that depicts the reality that Japanese Americans suffered in the War Relocation Authority (WRA) camps during World War II, as opposed to the euphemisms employed at the time and often used to this day. For further information, please see the references at the end of this article….

Thank You for Reading Our First Issue
Commentary

Thank You for Reading Our First Issue

Thank you for reading the first issue of the rebooted Vashon Loop. The learning curve has been huge, but the journey has been amazing. We are so grateful for the enthusiastic support we’ve received from this community. It’s an honor to serve you! We know these pages aren’t perfect, but they are pure Island. “Ferry”…

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