Wellspringwords Literary Anthology

“Patience”

Issue 2

cover artwork by Hali Igwelaezoh

This year of 2024, we’ve been sinking into self-trust all throughout this platform.

In this Autumn/Winter issue of our Literary Anthology, we artistically explore the patience required in crafting ourselves and the lives we consciously choose.

Some of the questions we posed to writers and artists for reflection and creation were:

What is it like to cultivate an open heart?

What space do you make in your life to feel all of you?

Explore the continuum of patience and action.

How does patience manifest in your artistic expression?

Is patience a virtue, yielding fruits, or a vice, the poison that eats us as we sit with it?

Please be aware that some content in this issue engages with domestic violence, self-harm, and death as noted by (cw) below.

And because this is an anthology devoted to the expression of women of the global majority, writers and visual artists for this issue have self-identified as:

Chinese + White

|

Black and of Indigenous descent

|

Nigerian

|

Indigenous, Mexican, and Hawaiian

|

Indian

|

Malaysian

|

Black + white

|

Chinese

|

Black

|

Egyptian

|

Queer Black Woman

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Chinese + White | Black and of Indigenous descent | Nigerian | Indigenous, Mexican, and Hawaiian | Indian | Malaysian | Black + white | Chinese | Black | Egyptian | Queer Black Woman |

Deep gratitude and respect to our esteemed contributors for showcasing such honesty, intuitive intelligence, multidimensionality, & authentic creative presence.

As you journey through this anthology below, be present with your heart.

Let your soul lead your reading experience. Dare to let yourself mingle with the unique experiences and expressions of these inimitable writers from around the Earth. Let their wisdom and magic meet your own.

Letters from the editorial team

Buried Treasures by Kaleigh MacDonald | Wellspringwords Community Member

Patience as Pendulum by Price Maccarthy | Wellspringwords Writing Fellow & Issue 1 Contributor

Submerge in these Living Waters by Maia Caschera-White | Wellspringwords Community Member & Issue 1 Contributor

A Gargantuan Task by Nkem Chukwumerije | Founder & Steward of Wellspringwords

Movements by Kenley Ellis | Memoir

Unbecoming by Chandrama Deshmukh | Poetry

In Utero & Birth Story by Cirrus Willis | Poetry

Resurgence, Bare, & Phases in Reflection by Hali Igwelaezoh, Cover Artist | Digital Artwork

Vigor by Teni Ayo-Ariyo | Poetry

Mixed Media by chello sherman | Mixed Media

Plowed by Teni Ayo-Ariyo | Poetry

The Painting of Ophelia by Shel Zhou | Poetry

The Blossoms of My Winter(ing) by Christina M. Tapper | Handcut Collage

the hourglass (time’s up, fool) by M.S. Blues | Poetry

Mother (cw) by Shel Zhou | Poetry

The Garden of Perpetual Youth by Supriya Rakesh | Fiction

A Soaking Ritual by Moyo Olatosi | Poetry

2325, 2300, & 0428  by Ellen June Wright | Watercolor

Adding Green Onions by Shel Zhou | Poetry

Clip On by Kenley Ellis | Memoir

“Thursday’s Child”  by Akeela Flowerchild | Acrylic Painting

Ms. Jenkins by Sarah Selim | Experimental Writing

Patience’s many faces… (cw) by Bahari | Poetry

Birthing the Balance by Sabriaya Shipley | Poetry

In Bloom Yet Fading by Sabriaya Shipley | Portrait Photography

Ode to Self in Two Parts by Briona Diaz | Poetry

Read more about the Wellspringwords Literary Anthology