Cole Altom . Writer . Editor . Canine Enthusiast . The mammal , not the tooth . Wood respecter . Native West Texan . One-time Trinitonian . Current Marathonian . Mostly wrong . Never in doubt . Passably literate . Send pitches to editor @ cenizojournal . com

Billie Farrington Birnie Billie Birnie has been writing most of her life , starting with bad poems about her good teachers in elementary school ( in Balmorhea , Texas ), continuing as editor of her college newspaper ( in Alpine , Texas ) and society editor of the Pecos Enterprise , improving during a long career in education ( in Austin , Texas , and Miami , Florida ), and now free-lancing in retirement ( in Alpine and San Angelo , Texas ). Her published writing ranges from memoir and poetry to articles and books on teaching and learning .

Judy Eron splits her time between the ocean in Washington state and the remote mountain desert outside Big Bend National Park in Texas , where she and her partner Charlie enjoy off-the-grid living in a house she helped to build . Summers , Judy is rhythm guitarist and songwriter for country band Double J and the Boys . She is the author of What Goes Up : Surviving the Manic Episode of a Loved One . Email : judyeron @ yahoo . com

Danielle Gallo is a writer who is proud to be the former editor-in-chief of the Cenizo Journal . She came to the area in 2002 and currently lives in Marathon with her family .

Shannon King is a native Texan , writer and equestrian who , in 2014 , discovered our beautiful Chihuahuan Desert and knew immediately this is where she was meant to be . She is now proud to call the Big Bend region home . A horse lover , Shannon has slowly built a following by riding and camping the southwest , while telling her stories as a woman traveling alone . Her articles have been published in Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine , Horse Trails of America , Where the Trails Are , and many other online equestrian resources . Read more of Shannon ' s work on Facebook or Instagram under the handle Confessions of a Saddle Tramp , or at www . confessionsofasaddletramp . com .

Stephanie Winston is originally from the Bronx , NY but now calls the Big Bend Region Home . She moved to the area in 2016 with her husband from Houston , Texas . Prior to moving out West she worked as an occupational therapist and used her culinary degree to help people to make healthy choices when eating . She enjoys writing about her family ’ s off grid homesteading lifestyle , making candles , teaching and spending time with her family and friends . Email : Thewinstonhomestead @ gmail . com

Clint Young A native of the Dallas / Fort Worth area , Clint Young is a selftaught photographer now residing in Marathon . His work can be found hanging in the V6 Coffee Shop and at ceyoung . myportfolio . com .

ON THE COVER : Art Walk Jack by Tom Curry

Shortly after moving to Alpine over 30 years ago , artist Tom Curry worked with visionaries Kerri Blackman and John Davis in hosting , Gallery Night , which would later become Artwalk Alpine . This year , Artwalk is celebrating its 30th anniversary , and , fittingly , Tom is its featured artist .

His image this , ARTWALK JACK , was inspired by the mythical jackalope , its horns morphing into the kinds of iconic images Artwalk is meant to celebrate . The jackelope himself is decked out in western attire , ready to join in the festivities .

Tom has been an illustrator since 1977 , working in a studio in Austin called Sagebrush . He has illustrated for a variety of publications , including Texas Monthly , Time , The New York Times , Rolling Stone , Playboy , The Washington Post , The Atlantic , and boasts several corporate and advertising clients . He has illustrated six children ' s books , and his work has been featured in a number of art magazines and annuals .

Tom grew up in the small town of Coleman , Texas near Abilene . After graduating from North Texas University in 1969 , he was drafted into the Army . After a stint in Stuttgart , Germany , he spent time traveling throughout Europe . In 1975 , he moved to Austin , where he began his career as an illustrator . Since moving to Alpine in 1993 , he has explored papercrete building and moonlit as an editorial cartoonist , but mostly focused on paintings , sculptures and playing the little guitar . His work can be seen at Curry Gallery in downtown Alpine and on the website tomcurrystudio . com .

FALL EDITION • OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2023

PUBLISHER Riley Stephens publisher @ cenizojournal . com

DESIGN / PRODUCTION Ceci Marquez

SUBSCRIPTIONS Print subscriptions will be mailed for $ 29 annually .

Subscribe online at CenizoJournal . com or email publisher @ cenizojournal . com or call 432-614-4074 x . 2 .

SUBMISSION

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Cole Altom editor @ cenizojournal . com

We ’ d like to feature your work in the Cenizo Journal . Contact Cole Altom at editor @ cenizojournal . com for submission information .

Cenizo Journal is published four times per year . © 2023 Cenizo Journal . Copyright of all art and images contained within are retained by the image owner and are used with permission .

Cenizo Fall 2023