A Note From the Editor

Obviously music should put all within listening range into a state of ecstasy.
– Steve Reich, May 1969

We have to bear in mind that everything that we do, our relationship to the world and to the earth and how, whatever it is that we do, is shaped by the world and in turn influences the world, changes the world.
– John Luther Adams, June, 2009

boulderpavement – no, not a web magazine about geology – not even a title selected for metaphorical possibilities, unless with a stretch, we imagine that the boulders left intact in a plane of glacial till represent ideas, chunks of rich content, deposited amidst sediment left by shifting ice; okay, so maybe a metaphor after all.

I think you’ll find the content herein – whether chunky or smooth – quite elegant, sometimes complex, sometimes light-hearted, but always rich in ability to stimulate your mind, whether your leanings are to music, to art, to literature, to history, to ideas, to nature, or to that ellusive concept we call culture.

Culture is that invisible thing that surrounds us, that we absorb and enact daily, which in so many ways defines us, but that we occasionally have to step back from, or outside of (if possible) to catch a glimpse.

boulderpavement – this multi-media site where ideas cluster – offers glimpses into the most current realms of creativity and thought, on a Canadian and international scale. You’ve found your way to Volume number 1, Issue number 1, published in January 2010.

Why an online journal? Well, why not – when there is remarkable creative output, skill and knowledge that accretes in and around The Banff Centre – creative peaks worth sharing that you might not otherwise hear or see; when there is a medium with wide reach that can always stand more high quality, meaningful content; when there are talented people who have learned or brought with them, the skills to place exciting content in an inviting package?

boulderpavement was created at The Banff Centre in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rocky Mountains by a team of literary minds and digital media experts, and a convergence of talent and resources. The individuals are all named in our masthead, and I am most grateful for their participation. Without each one’s contribution, this journal would not look, appeal, read, and perform so well.

And of course we acknowledge the faith of the contributors who so willingly provided their work for publication in this first manifestation.

We invite you to click the pages open and enjoy. And we’ll even appreciate your comments. If you like what you see, please know that we will publish twice a year, so the next issue will appear in mid-2010.

By now you’re seeing a connection – Rocky Mountains, glacial till, boulders – well yes, we live in a special landscape here, but we know that our boulderpavement has already stretched beyond the jagged physical horizon we can see, to reach you. Enjoy the view.

Steven Ross Smith
January 2010