About

Jeri Rogers, Editor

  Artemis mission has not changed from its conception. Borne out of the writing workshops held for the victims of domestic violence in Southwest Virginia, Artemis Journal has been an advocate for social justice since 1977. We continue to pay tribute to those foundations today by advocating equal and fair treatment of all. Artemis strongly denounces all forms of discrimination. Whether it is a fight against sexism or racism, Artemis works to elevate the voices of all genders and backgrounds—and to provide a pathway for their art.

Archived Artemis Journals

Our yearly journal highlights the voices of artists and writers who uphold the values of the Greek lunar goddess for which the journal was named–Artemis.  As the archetype of the mother goddess, Artemis was the protector of wild animals, the wilderness, young women, and childbirth. She was known as a carrier of light.

For the first few years, Artemis showcased the work of women from this group, and in 1979 we expanded our scope to include men. Now into our 47th year of publishing and showcasing artists and writers of the Blue Ridge Mountains and beyond.

Expanding our reach, we now podcast with Artemis Speaks. Celebrating three seasons of podcasting, Interviewing artists and writers published in our library of journals, host Jeri Rogers explores the creative energy of her guests with probing questions. Artemis Speaks is co-produced with Skip Brown of Final Track Studios.

Artemis Speaks podcast recording with Jorden Harmen at Final Track Studio.

Artemis Journal 2024

As we celebrate the 48th anniversary of Artemis Journal in 2024, we take pride in the collective achievements of this small, independent journal. Nestled in the rural, conservative southwest corner of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, our survival is a testament to the power of creativity and collaboration. Artemis Journal has survived and thrived, extending its influence beyond the borders Southwest Virginia. . Together, we have cultivated a network of artists and writers, each a solitary bee working in a vast field of ideas, each seeking the transformative spark that turns nectar into life-sustaining honey.

The theme “Illuminating the Darkness,” addresses the challenges facing our artist and writers today. Natasha Trethewey’s poem “Enlightenment” shows the way and is our featured poem in the journal as well as our guest speaker for the launch at the Taubman Museum on September 6th.

Cover by Cynthia Wick, Joge’s View

Artemis Journal 2023

Artemis Journal 2023 will launch on September 1, 2023, at The Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, Virginia. This year’s celebration is a Benefit for the Taubman Museum of Art and Artemis Journal. The theme is “transformative nature.” The event will have Artists and Writers speaking, including Artist Bob Rotche, Acclaimed Poet Nikki Giovanni, and Music by Songwriter Lara Taubman and her Band.

Cover by Jeri Rogers, Axis Mundi

Artemis Journal 2022

Nikki Giovanni

The theme of this year’s journal, “For the Love of a Book,” was inspired by Distinguished Poet Nikki Giovanni’s poem, “Fall in Love (For Artemis) .” This theme expresses a core belief that implicitly drove the inception of our journal, and it can account for our compendium’s continuance into the present. Our journal has a wide swath of artists and writers, some first-time published, others well-known in their fields. We are honored to include the work of former US Poet laureate Natasha Trethewey, Virginia Poet Laureates Ron Smith, Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda, and current Poet Laureate of the Commonwealth of Virginia Luisa Igloria, and many other remarkable poets and artists from around the world. There is lots to explore, with 153 artists and writers published in this journal. For information to purchase, go to our Store on this website.

This year’s cover, “The Flock,” is by esteemed artist Steven Kenny

http://www.stevenkenny.com

Cover artist, Donna Polsenso

Artemis Journal 2021 is one of the few journals in America that blends art, poetry, and prose throughout its pages. Likewise, it remains one of the few journals that publish fledgling writers and artists alongside prominent writers such as Nikki Giovanni, Virginia Poet Laureates, Luisa Igloria, Ron Smith, Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda, U.S. Poet Laureates, Rita Dove, Natasha Trethewey, as well as prominent artists such as Donna Polseno, Betty Branch, and Bill White.

2000 Artemis cover by Dorothy Gillespie

Artemis Journal 2020 is our 27th published journal to date and includes poetry from two Virginia Poet Laureates, Ron Smith and Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda, and a U.S. Poet Laureate, Natasha Trethewey. Maurice Ferguson, Literary Editor of Artemis, received over 400 submissions this year came from across the United States as well as foreign countries and including 170 of the submissions.

1977 cover Artemis by Dorothy Gillespie

Season of Women” was the theme for the journal and was a centennial celebration of the 19th amendment to the US Constitution, giving women the right to vote, passed one hundred years ago. As we celebrate this momentous event, we honored an artist who was also born 100 years ago and impacted the art scene here in our hometown, nationally and internally. Dorothy Gillespie, 1920-2012, supported our fledgling idea of starting a feminist literary and art journal by donating a beautiful pastel for our very first cover. The energy she brought to our journal and our hometown was contagious, and along with the journal, the idea was born to create the very first mural in our downtown.

 

More history/herstory of Artemis Journal

Artemis 2019 was launched with a fundraiser on June 7, 2019, at the Roanoke Taubman Museum of Art. The program’s highlight was an exceptional ballet dance performance, Poetry in Motion, interpreting selected poems from our journal by students from the nonprofit Southwest Virginia Ballet.

Cover artist, Sally Mann

In the aftermath of the Women’s Marches of 2017, Artemis adopted this ancient proverb for the journal’s theme: “Women Hold Up Half the Sky.” Emblematic of this theme, we featured two women who have held up their part of the sky, Photographer Sally Mann and Poet Natasha Trethewey. Our cover image for Artemis 2019 is a stunning photograph from Sally Mann’s recent show, “Sally Mann—A Thousand Crossings,” which opened last year at the National Gallery of Art and has since traveled internationally. Our featured poet is U.S. Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner Natasha Trethewey, who opens our journal with her profound poem, “Reach.”

Artemis 2019 was dedicated to the acclaimed poet and Pulitzer Prize winner Mary Oliver, who passed away in January. Her deep regard for nature and reverence for all living things have been guideposts for all of us. We also have poems by some of Virginia’s finest poets, including Virginia’s Poet Laureate, Ron Smith, acclaimed poet Nikki Giovanni, Linda Parsons, Susan Hankla, and Katherine Soniat.

Artemis 2019 expanded our literary range into science fiction short stories by collaborating with two California-based non-profits, The Light Bringer Project & Hollywood National Organization for Women, to create a special award, “Women Hold Up Half the Sky,” for a story with a feminist theme.

“Artemis” Louvre Museum, Paris, France

Artemis, now 47 years old, celebrates the voices and visions of artists and writers from the Appalachian region of the Blue Ridge Mountains and beyond. Like its namesake, the Greek lunar goddess, Artemis, had the divine duty of illuminating the darkness and was the goddess of the hunt and protector of the natural world. She is often depicted carrying a candle or torch, lighting the way for others and leading them through uncharted territories.

Roanoke Taubman Museum of Art

Artemis is a charitable, non-profit organization made possible by generous contributions from our supporters, the Roanoke Arts Commission, and The Taubman Museum of Art. 10% of our profits are donated to shelters for abused women and their children in Southwest Virginia.

Artemis Editors, Left Zephren Turner, Page Turner, Donnie Secreast, Adam Gnuse, Jeri Rogers, Julia Fallon, Steven Kenny

Editorial Staff:


Jeri Rogers, Founder & Editor-in-Chief

Julia Fallon, Associate Editor

Page Turner, Zephren Turner, Art & Layout Editors

Donnie Secreast, Adam Gnuse, Literary Editors

Skip Brown, Audio Editor  

Jonathan Rogers, Treasurer & Legal Advisor

Nikki Giovanni, Distinguished Poet  

                                                                                                                                           

Donnie Secreast, Nikki Giovanni, Adam Gnuse

Roanoke Pops Event – Julia Fallen, Jeri Rogers, Page Turner, Zephren Turner