from the publisher

july 2, 2001     

When I was a kid, one summer, everyone was learning to roller skate. I went to the rink with them and hung on to the railing. All summer I watched the kids falling down racing toward the middle of the rink. I cautiously stayed by the wall and stayed standing the whole time. But by the end of the summer they were skating and I was still stuck next to the wall.

Rick, a California river guide

Adult adolescence continues with a look at risk-taking and the changes of maturity: an interview with writer Pam Houston, Susan Terris's poem Natural Defenses, and a photo essay by Caroline Berry on Turning Twelve. You'll also find suggestions for summer rentals, including a selection of films that reflect the rhythm and style of the late Jack Lemmon. In the coming weeks, we'll have more poetry, our adolescence survey, and reviews of works about growing up at any age.

In parting, I thought I would share part of a note I received from poetry editor Zoë Francesca, whose household recently suffered an injury:

"Thanks, Nada, for your good wishes. We had to cancel our vacation plans, but this gives us a chance to relax and give thanks for what we have right here at home: A dog, a plastic pool, and some brownies." -Z

Hope you skate away from the security of the railing and enjoy your own equivalent of a dog, a plastic pool, and brownies over this holiday,

nada