2011 Issue - Santa Fe Community College

and Publishing, 1999
• Logghe, Joan. Rice. Espanola, New Mexico; Tres Chicas
Books, 2009.
“The Sun” Review
As an on again, off again reader of The Sun magazine for years, I
found a letter to the editor in the June Issue (issue 414) that explains my
own ambiguity fully- A letter from subscriber Thomas Bloch divulges-
“I’m overwhelmed by the pain, negativity, and suffering of the writers.
Then, often in the same piece, I’m ambushed by hope, change, empathy,
and compassion.”
The layout of this literary rag is fairly simple, save for a few exclusively
signature pieces the publication has run for years. There is always
a long interview included that is not focused on writing, but on
current issues. When I asked a friend of mine what he liked about The
Sun he mentioned an interview with Pema Chodron, the Buddhist who
has written several books on the subject. She is a writer known for religious
views and a well known lecturer- Theology is a central topic
along with ecology, racism, and politics. Violence and solutions by
peaceful resolution are often part of this social commentary in the form
of essays. The editor, Sy Safransky, started the Sun some thirty five
years ago. His roots are journalism; he worked in NYC until he ended
up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. When he wrote about the Navajos
in an issue back in the nineties he said, “I can’t imagine feeling that
rooted. I no longer consider NYC my home…but where do my roots
connect with earth” He had been on a trip to Arizona, and stayed for
a night in a Hogan on the Navajo reservation. He found it uncomfortable,
used to as he was to the city and the air-conditioned comfort of
his office. Yet he had compassion and awareness of a Navajo’s beliefs to
write a long essay on his experience there. He is unashamed to write
about his own search for meaning (go to “Sy Safransky’s Notebook” in
the back pages) in life. His NYC roots are reflected in his philosophical
and intellectual leanings.
Anyone enjoys a good story. In “Reader’s Write,” the unabashed
142 Santa Fe Literary Review