Voice of the River Valley is truly a gift. Each month, volunteer contributors fill these pages with their literary and visual voices. Advertisers from throughout our region share their financial support for printing and the website.
As has become our year-end tradition, we dedicate the back page of our last magazine of each year to the contributors whose art and photography have graced the year’s covers, and to the advertisers whose support made the year’s magazines possible — 52 this year. In chronological order, 2021’s covers featured Rob Steffen, Lois Hall, Dustin Roberts, Kate Bausch, Steven Shoemaker, Carol Kramer, Rick Graves, John McWilliams, Arabella Quinn, Linda Kelen, Rob Steffen (again!) and Judy Robb.
Just as essential to the mission of Voice to celebrate the people and events that inspire, inform and enrich life in the Lower Wisconsin and Sugar-Pecatonica River Basins of Wisconsin’s Driftless Area are our columnists and featured contributors. You can enjoy all of this year’s featured voices at www.voiceoftherivervalley.com. Join us in thanking this month’s contributors: Ainsley Anderson, Steve Fuller, Doris Green, John Heasley, Jennifer Moore-Kerr and Kathy Steffen.
Kathy in particular deserves our gratitude as this month’s column is her 142nd, and her last. Since November 2009 — that’s 12 years! — Kathy, an award-winning novelist and short-story author, has given us the gift of creative writing wisdom and coaching that’s always been applicable beyond the page. As she prepares to start the next chapter in her creative journey, we thank her for her generous contributions to Voice of the River Valley and the spirit of creative energy.
As the year comes to a close, we wish all of our distributors — Joni, Rick, Linda, Mark, Nick and Brian — advertisers, contributors, subscribers and you, dear reader, the happiest of holidays — and happy reading.
