BUZZWORDS

In her professional life, Lori Freeze is a mild-mannered newspaper editor. A devoted journalist, her work routine revolves around the publication of news articles, columns, and photographs for readers throughout Stone County, Arkansas.

But, like equally mild-mannered Clark Kent, Lori (pictured at left) occasionally dons superhero attire to unleash the powerful virtues within. 

Lori's alter ego, with goes by the Internet nickname ''newzbee,'' is expressed in her literary journal, Buzzwords. The publication releases her creative writer's spirit and empowers others to do the same. 

Gathering materials, editing, and laying-out the hard-copy quarterly publication on her own time and at her own expense, the first issue of Buzzwords went to print in the autumn of 1998. Since then, she's never missed a deadline and now has a total of seven consecutive issues under her belt.

Offering original works of fiction such as ''The Haircut,'' ''The Ultimate Shot,'' and ''The Old Foundation,'' accompanied by the poetic charms of ''Life's Traveler,'' ''Growth Rings,'' and "We Lost Another Life,'' the publication unfolds the stories hidden in many writers'  hearts. 

Also embellished with original photographs, Buzzwords captivates the minds of readers, carrying them on wings of whimsy to the heights of emotional rapture, and equally compelling introspective soul searches to explore the depths of today's mainstream life and modern times. 

An example of the revelatory qualities Lori's work provokes is found in a tale of what happens when tragedy is  innocently inflicted by what some call progress. To read the whole touching story, just click here. 

Her poetry, too, inspires introspection, as you'll see first hand in the following piece:

LIFE'S TRAVELER, by Lori Freeze, as published in Buzzwords,  Volume 1 Number 1 - Autumn 1998. 

A leaf circles the puddle into which it's fallen.
From one side to the other and back, again and again.

It meets the same immovable boundary on each side,
With the same submerged objects does collide.

The countless trips around the puddle never stop,
First one direction, then another, and a swap,

Until the sun comes out and sucks the puddle dry,
And the leaf is left stranded in the mud to die.

A person does confine himself to such small space
Choosing a pool of companions so few in face.

Around and around the shallow depths of his realm,
He controls his small vessel from the helm.

He rarely misjudges and never falters,
He's unwilling to steer into deeper waters.

The aimless journey strives toward an end
That no inexperienced captain can amend.

With his tiller he should have challenged the tide,
Confronted the world with a measure of pride,

Looked for new lands to go out and discover,
New places and treasures to find and uncover.

But the sailor sits stranded and asks himself why
Life always seems to have just passed him by.

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While the literary journal has achieved modest success, and her list of both subscribers and contributors is ever growing, Lori continues striving to make the publication self-sustaining.  Seeking new subscribers and new contributors as well, she welcomes the opportunity to review submissions of short fiction, poetry, essays and other avant-garde prose. 

To get a flavor of the type of articles Lori regularly features, visit her old Website and then visit her NEW Website. And you can  request a sample copy of the publication by snail-mailing $3 to Buzzwords, P.O. Box 1330, Mountain View, AR 72560, or simply contact Lori by email freeze@mvtel.net 

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