The new issue of "Voices" marks the 18th consecutive year Carolina Meadows residents have published a literary journal showcasing the best work done by writers in their midst during the previous year. The 130-page edition is available at the Carolina Meadows Gift Shop.

"As far as we have been able to ascertain, Voices is the only literary magazine published in the state by residents of a continuing care retirement community," said Bob Huddleston, editor of the magazine.

Poems, essays, memoirs and short stories submitted for consideration are first evaluated by two anonymous readers and then submitted to the Voices Editorial Board for final selection.

"We not only look for quality, but writing that the board believes will be appreciated by Carolina Meadows residents and will provide a balance of genres," Huddleston said.

Editorial board members include Rita Borden, Bill Falconer, Herb Harned and Nannette Melcher.

Twenty-seven authors are featured in the 2009 edition, 11 of them new. Many have stepped far afield from their chosen professions. For example, Herb Harned, retired professor of pediatrics at the UNC School of Medicine, now writes imaginative short stories instead of articles on pediatric heart disease. Don Heywood, a Ph.D. chemist retired from Union Carbide, writes fiction. Bill Falconer, an accountant retired from financial management with the Gillette Company, is a jazz aficionado and writer of CD reviews and essays.

Retired professors are well represented in the collection: Sam Baron, Russian history, UNC; Herb Carson, English and humanities, Ferris State; Judith Ferster, English, N.C. State; Gene Lehman, zoology, UNC; Elizabeth McMahan, zoology, UNC; Marge Miles, nursing, UNC; and Don Stedman, education.

Voices provides an outlet for professional writers, too. Herb Bailey was editor and director of the Princeton University Press for 30 years. His book, "The Art and Science of Publishing," has been translated into Chinese and Japanese. His poems have appeared in The New Republic and his articles in Scientific American.

John Ryan, an economist with Exxon, helped formulate company statements on petroleum and energy matters. His work on the availability of energy resources has appeared in industry professional and technical journals. American Heritage Magazine published two of his articles about the closing days of World War II.

Jim Parker was editor and/or publisher of three North Carolina newspapers -- the Chatham News, Sampsonian, and Sampson Independent.

Carol Z. Klein was with UNC's Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center and has had 26 stories published in literary reviews.

Several authors have written books while living at Carolina Meadows. Nannette Melcher's book, "Star Dust," was winner of the Lee Witte Poetry Contest sponsored by Mount Olive College and published by the Mount Olive College Press in 2000.

Bob Huddleston's biography, "Edmondo: From Chiapas, Mexico to Park Avenue," came out in 2007. Huddleston was a columnist for the Federal Times and a book reviewer in Washington, D.C.

The current issue is dedicated to the late Calvin Kytle, whose novel, "Like a Tree," was published last October on his 88th birthday.

Other authors include Bert Geiger, Connie and David Freeman, Onnie Gitelman, Madeleine Hammill, Judith Krassner, Lew Miles, Ruth Morrow, Shio Northup, Joanne Roberts, Carolyn Roessel and Joan Walecka. Cover art is by Ed Mammen, photography by Joe Mengel and sketches by Elizabeth McMahan. Ginny Lansing typeset the manuscripts.

Many of the authors honed their manuscripts by participating in the Writers' Group that meets weekly. Anyone may read their writing and receive constructive comments.

The Writers Group was formed shortly after Carolina Meadows opened its doors in the mid-1980s. At first, the group recruited writing teachers from Central Carolina Community College. Later, a new resident, Virginia Sampson, novelist ("Patriot's Play") and teacher, further developed the workshop concept for budding writers.

The Writers' Group published its first literary magazine, Meadowscripts, in 1991 and continued annual publication through 2000 with Eleanor Kilgour, and Dorothy and Paul Ferster as editors. The magazine changed its format in 2001 to become the Voices of today. Virginia Sampson, John Ryan and Herb Bailey each served two-year stints as editors.

Rita Borden is a resident at Carolina Meadows.