The hall has been rented, the orchestra engaged and the booby traps have been set, hidden and forgotten.
Next month Saragun Springs becomes another publishing site, but it will not be just another publishing site due to the remarkably productive cases of mental imbalances that direct the run of the place. It is run by myself and Dr. Dale Williams Barrigar (often DWB and/or “The Drifter.”)
One key difference is the Springs remains a real dimesion in the creative universe. There is a Pygmy Goat named Daisy Kloverleaf who is as real as a person gets on this side of the veil. There are over two hundred various residents of the realm, and each one of us thjnks it is a high and fine idea to share space with writers and artists looking for new places to show their works, which all begins next month on Monday, 5 January.
The set up is rather free form and other than the Weekly Drifter every Sunday whatever happens will do just that. Mainly, items that will be selected will run daily and since that isn’t too hard to present, we are all for it.
There are cynics who feel that such an announcement has all the depth of introducing an individual snowflake during a blizzard. True, but there are also occasions when the universe can be improved by the silence of cynics. “Shut the fuck up” can be expressed in infinite ways, which are dictated by the patience of the advisor.
Today we once again present the Submission Guidelines as written by Dale. We aim to keep the site simple, but that should not be associated in any way with a lack of effort or caring on our part.
This current month will contain odds and ends with reruns of works presented throughout the year. It will all get new enough, anon.
Life is a draw up the play in the dirt sort of thing. It keeps the fear up and the energy flows. Such is the path we shall trod. Things will get gloss on them as time goes by, but I hope we never get slick.
Leila
Saragun Springs 
Leila
That is a perfect picture for the beginning of this special December, special because The Springs’ Editors (you and me) have already begun reviewing submissions for the grand opening in early January 2026.
After all, Counting Crows have sung, “It’s been a long December, and there’s reason to believe / Maybe this year will be better than the last.”
And last year was utterly great, in a literary sense. But we can, and we will, take it even higher now.
To all potential contributors or anyone even thinking of contributing (almost the same thing but not quite): we ask you to read the guidelines and send your things if it seems like you can. We are beyond eager to show your writing to the world if it’s ready; and if it isn’t ready (in our humble opinion), we will let you down gently and ask you to persist and try and try again. If you are a reader and not a writer, our thank yous flow out to you just as fully and sincerely. Real reading is just as creative an act as real writing is. And we are going to provide things that are worth your time, every single time.
Happy December to all…
DWB
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Thank you Dale
I hope that the Dog Pack remebers you are human and are like to freeze in snow. Sometimes animal enthusiasm gets reckless.
Leila
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PS
To Bob Dylan and Stephen King: We invite you to submit as well. We will not look askance at your materials simply because you are famous.
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Hi Leila and Dale,
This is interesting and fun reading Saragun Springs and its progression.
I like how you handle the cynics. Teddy Roosevelt’s passage “The Man in the Arena” always stuck with me and summarized in my mind: “It’s easy to criticize the man who steps into the ring.” Kind of sexist, now, but accurate. People love to scoff at people or a new idea or both. it’s so easy to do that.
Great luck in your endeavors! I can hear Daisy rearing up and her hooves clopping!
Christopher
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Christopher
Yes, often it seems as if anything truly worth doing is kind of like Don Quixote tilting at windmills. The windmills he’s fighting aren’t real monsters threatening the innocent as he thinks they are, they are only harmless windmills; and because of that fact Don Quixote is mad (crazy, a fool). BUT (and however) Don Quixote is also on the right track, BECAUSE he’s willing to go out there and do it no matter how foolish he looks, and even though even he probably knows the windmills are really just windmills (in his heart of hearts). But in the end, his open spirit is contagious for those around him. People belatedly see that he’s trying to do good (even though failing), and in that fact it turns out that he actually is doing good. May it be so.
Anything you ever submit to Saragun will be immediately accepted because we know how good you are and we know that if you submit it, it’s ready. That goes for writing and/or photographs. You are already a Saragun Commentator of invaluable status on this site, too, of course. Thanks for all you do and here’s to many many many more adventures in the future!
Dale
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Hi Dale
That’s intriguing about Don Quixote. Great description of his quest or even delusion. Fighting the windmills. The way you wrote this is a great image full of symbology! The conflict within himself and the world, too. Windmills may have represented technology. He would be fighting all kinds of monsters today.
I started the book awhile back, but got side tracked–the same way I got sidetracked on “Crime and Punishment.”
Thank you so much for the great invitation and acceptance of my work. That is a major vote of confidence!
Yes here’s to the future. Cheers!
Christopher
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I’ll prolly package some content for possible publication. Are Tope-Hawley pieces allowed? I’d have to check with lead author BT.
Doug Hawley Ph.D. UO 1969
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