Editorial
Welcome to the August 2025 issue of Segullah. Within its pages you’ll find reviews of two new books of poetry by our Poetry Board member Lorren Lemmons, first by former Segullah staff member Sharlee Mullins Glenn, and the second by a poet we’ve been pleased to publish more than once in the past, Marilyn Bush Carlton.
Our prose and poetry sections include almost two dozen new works by authors, both new and known—please consider engaging by commenting on pieces which move you to laugh, or weep, or consider
We’re also thrilled to present an interview with artist Lavinia Hale, first place art winner in this year’s contest—with more of her gorgeous work to peruse throughout
In this issue we also bid adieu to Melonie Cannon, who has been a stalwart legend on our staff for almost all of Segullah’s lifetime, most recently in her tenure as Poetry Editor. There are no words for the difference she has made in the sisterhood of our staff and authors, with her friendship and firm grasp of direction, and to this publication with her love for God and words, and words about God.
This journal has taken a bit longer than usual to see publication, and we appreciate the patience of our contributors and those of you waiting eagerly to see what’s new. Thank you for joining us!
Each year after the contest closes and we’ve announced the top pieces, we begin work with our winners to quickly prep their work for publication in just a few weeks. Typically, an entry that places in the contest won’t need much editing, but occasionally something that sparked a lot of delight or was filled with deep meaning will place, but need a more thorough run through. Is it stressful or exhilarating, this rush to be ready? It depends on who you ask!
What happens to the poetry, prose, and artwork that doesn’t win a prize? Most of these pieces are returned to their authors or artists as we feel that—even with additional work—they may not meet our requirements, or they need more adjustments than our staff has time to engage in.
A sliver of the submissions we receive for the contest stay with us. For visual art, we invite the artists to be published in the contest issue alongside the winners—while they didn’t place, the judges saw merit and interest and we’re happy to show them off!
The writers in this category are invited to work one-on-one with a Segullah staff editor to polish and prepare their piece for publication in a later issue. This process can take several weeks and gives the author the opportunity to work on technical fixes as well as defining their voice through multiple back-and-forth editing conversations with their editor.
Why do we do this? Segullah strives to be a “teaching journal.” One of our main purposes has always been to share good and interesting writing of experienced authors, and to mentor and support those who are looking to gain the experience to share their work most effectively.
Segullah began as and continues to be, a labor of love. Our staff is fully comprised of volunteering women doing their best to make the Segullah space meaningful for our readers and writers. Just as we expect from our contributors, we each continue to learn from our experiences, hone our own voices, and refine the processes in working with those willing to take that vulnerable leap in submitting their work to us. Each editor has done this herself and recognizes the value of strong critiques coupled with compassion: this is what we hope to give.
Thank you for joining us on this journey, and we hope you enjoy the paths of perspective, generosity, and storytelling this issue invites you to wander.
