Denise once commented that, in the early days of Seeker, occasionally she would write under different pseudonyms so that it would at least look as if there were more than one or two authors in the issue. Harry Buschmann pointed out in his short story "The Name With No Man," that when you create another name, you can create another self. As I looked back through the articles by Denise under other names, though, I usually found a "Denise" flavor to them.
She has a flavor of kindness and caring crossed with truth. Unafraid of being honest and forthright, Denise called forth those same qualities in the writers who responded to Seeker's call for essays and stories and poems.
My connection with Denise came through my son David Langer (Blind Crow). With my old 286 computer in the early days of '95, I think it was, we got connected to AOL, and he found Denise who ran writing and role-playing rooms for AOL. As you can read from CatZachrid's essay, Denise's "rooms" played a significant role in quite a few lives, Catz, Brandon, Harry, and David among them.
Her decision to create Seeker has played a significant role in quite a few other lives, myself included. I invite you to read her first Letter from the Editor in the July 1995:
She hoped that Seeker would become "many voices singing in the dark in the midst of chaos, because they must...opening a mind or touching a heart here and there,...." From the notes received from readers and writers, I know that Denise succeeded.
I believe that she can justifiably feel that she created a place for writers, mostly unknown, mostly just "regular people," frequently enough being published for the first time, to feel valued and safe in putting forth their views...and their hearts. In Seeker the editor has sole control of what appears on its pages. The flavor of the magazine and the desire to present different ones that subtly blend comes from the likes and dislikes of said editor. She succeeded in presenting a variety of flavors that included debatable topics and reflections of plain basic "seeking" of spirit and truth.
Denise loves animals, unreservedly. Her ferritos served as Seeker's mascots, and I heard of their goods and bads in the assorted phone conversations we've had. She wrote of teaching a young girl how to develop an animal's trust of self in a "Transmutation" column. Another piece reflects that love and trust, and I invite you to read her August 1997 Editor's Letter of the story of Mittens:
She was the creator of the Animal Guides that appeared for a while. I placed one, Wolf, in this list of Tributes. She wrote it to all seekers, and it seems particularly pertinent to Denise.
During the first year, she did a series of interviews under the name of D. Canton, I believe through email for the most part. I think perhaps the one with Rose, who talked about her experience with cancer, may have been in person, because one of Denise's Editor letters mentions Rose giving her an afghan every year and she would love to snuggle in one on cold nights. It's a very good interview, and Rose's thoughts on living with a disease that may ultimately kill you (not unlike AIDS) are cogent. It's at the following:
Another regular column in the first years was "Tales of the Tree" in which various writers were featured. As Ellenodale, Denise wrote a piece called "Yuri's Questions" which is truly pertinent to questions of why is there war. Please revisit it at:
Denise wrote poetry as Ellenodale, frequently for younger readers. I'll point you to two of them and let you chuckle a bit.
Last, but most definitely not the least, are Denise's columns entitled "Transmutations," which she began writing last May, all of them thought-provoking. I've picked the first one in which she discussed the willingness to change, to "transmute" one's self into something different, as a result of life's experiences, of learning from someone else, of discovering one's being. I love her masthead design of water lily and what could be a snow ridge or a foam splash at the ocean's edge. I've never quite been able to figure it out, but that adds to the mystery of the changes she discusses.
Denise designed the original orange-sun and the current blue-moon title pages and, I believe, the colors and textures of the backgrounds. Through it all she became a web-site designer in her own right. She set up the server directory so simply that even novice me works with it easily.
As the person who has become Seeker's editor, I know I don't have Denise's touch with aspiring writers, but I work at it. I deeply appreciate all the wonderful remarks she has given me in these past couple of years. I trust she is doing what she loves, and I hope (yes, Harry, hope) that she doesn't shut away the writer's muse for too long. And if you wish to read more of Denise's writing (I printed them out and there are many!), just go to the Contributor's List, and check out Ruiz.
With love and deep gratitude,
Cherie
Letter to the Author at skyearth1@aol.com