Cenizo Journal Spring 2009 | Page 6

Editor’s Notes W 123 N. H IGHLAND A VE . M ARFA TX 79843 www.marfarealty.com 432.729.3962 D AVIS M OUNTAINS N UT C OMPANY Roasted and Dipped Pecans You can taste the difference care makes! Please stop in for FREE SAMPLES Hwy 17 in Fort Davis • Open: Mon. - Sat. 9 to 5 Great handmade gourmet gifts! Visit us on the web: www.allpecans.com 800-895-2101 • 432-426-2101 dmnc@allpecans.com 24 Hour ATM Loans Personal Banking Business Banking Marfa National Bank 301 S Highland Ave Marfa 432.729.4344 • 877.729.4344 www.marfanb.com 1 ST Presidio Bank HWY 67 Presidio 432.229.3724 • 888.488.4111 • Telebank: 432.729.4999 www.firstpresidio.com 6 Cenizo Second Quarter 2009 elcome to the pages of the Cenizo Journal, where you’ll find a cele- bration of the Big Bend of Texas through the words and images of writers and artists who love this special place. My first thanks goes to the advertisers who make this magazine possible. The entire magazine is paid for by their dollars. Please give them your business. Not only do these businesses support the local economy with employment, tax dollars, civic support, convenience and competitive prices, they create a sense of prosperity and vibrant street life that no box stores or shopping malls can touch. Thank you to all of them – we’re here because they’re here! Thank you to our contribu- tors, all of whom want to share their love for and unique view of the life, culture and beauty of Trans-Pecos Texas. And thank you to our readers. Please let us know how you feel about what we publish. We know we will grow with your help. We are happy to hear from potential contributors. We publish the first of every quar- ter with deadlines six weeks prior. Send inquiries to me: editor@cenizojournal.com. It’s always wise, when beginning a new adventure such as this magazine, to be alert to the wisdom of those who have gone before. With that in mind, we dedicate the first issue of the Cenizo Journal to the memory of Tom Shuford, teacher, mentor and wily guy, who helped with our first steps and whose example continues to be there to draw from every day. Dallas Baxter For Tom Shuford A year or so ago, I joined a writer’s group on the suggestion of Jack Copeland and the gentle insistence of Tom Shuford. Though my travel schedule prohibited me from attending each month, the times I did go are etched in my memory as principled reminders of how to nurture a story, to use correct punctuation and to stay away from those double negatives. Each member of the writer’s group brought his/her own unique stamp on the process, and I grew to depend on the feedback accordingly. Tom seemed to always speak first. It was as if the Tom gate had to swing forward before other opinions flowed. No one ever complained because his thoughts were always so precise and, though he would have chided me for saying this, “right on.” When he lifted those gentle, road-weary eyes up from the page and said with great professorial ease that something was good (save a few misplaced punctuation marks), your week was complete. Karen Bernstein