Raven Chronicles Journal Vol. 25: writers and artists examine the theme "Balancing Acts," how we live our life, fully, and maintain our relationship with the earth/planet and the diversity of life on it. Biodiversity is balance in the dance of nature. The U.S. contributors in this Balancing Acts-themed Journal live in seventeen states-Washington, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, California, Oregon, Illinois, New Jersey, Virginia, Idaho, New York, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Alabama, Wisconsin, Florida, Washington, D.C.; and 52% are from Washington State. Contributors, particularly visual artists, also hail from ten countries-U.S., Germany, Colombia, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Canada, Chile, Singapore. We are especially pleased to present the work of a selection of established and emerging writers from New Zealand as part of the Sister Cities Program, a collaboration between Seattle and Christchurch, New Zealand. Talk about synchronicity Just as we were getting ready to go to press with this Journal, we heard the announcement on October 31, 2017, that Seattle had been designated as a UNESCO City of Literature, after all the hard work by the folks at Seattle City of Literature Congratulations to Stesha Brandon, Bob Redmond, et al, and Ryan Boudinot-who did the heavy lifting early on and produced a vivid book of "Reflections From A Community of Writers," Seattle City of Literature, Sasquatch Books, 2015. Poetry, Fiction, Essays, Creative Nonfiction, Reviews by: Anita Endrezze, Edward Harkness, vivan linder levi, Dana Nelson Dudley, Matt Briggs, Daniel Carter, JT Stewart, Anna B lint, Thomas Hubbard, Doc Drumheller, Fiona Farrell, Erik Kennedy, Nic Low, Frankie McMillan, Heather McQuillan, Avis M. Adams, Kathleen Alcal , Luther Allen, Jan e J. Baugher, Kyce Bello, Eleanor Berry, Danielle D. Billing, Michelle Brooks, Thomas Brush, Sarah Capdeville, Nancy Christopherson, Ng Yu Ci, Deborrah Corr, Mary Eliza Crane, Sharon Cumberland, Chris Espenshade, Anne Frantilla, CMarie Fuhrman, Rafael Jes s Gonz lez, Alicia Hokanson, David D. Horowitz, Jill McCabe Johnson, Susan Johnson, Barbara Johnstone, Eugenia Kim, Sarah E.N. Kohrs, Daniel Lee, David Lukas, Jamie McGillen, Jayne Marek, Gigi Marks, Ruby Hansen Murray, Jed Myers, Michael O'Brien, John Olson, Anna Reaney, Luisa Kay Reyes, Mary Lou Sanelli, Heidi Seaborn, Dave Seter, Judith Skillman, T.J. Smith, Willie Smith, Joannie Stangeland, Scott T. Starbuck, Mary Ellen Talley, Carter Vance, Angie Trudell Vasquez, Sarah Brown Weitzman, Andrena Zawinski, Kristin Camitta Zimet, Laura Lee Bennett, Jim Cant , David Fewster, Larry Laurence, Julianne Seeman, Mayumi Tsutakawa, Carolyne Wright, Rita Wirkala. The work of Artists: Daniel Ableev, Germany, David Anderson, Nebraska, Anna B lint, Seattle, Phoebe Bosch , Seattle, Michelle Brooks, New Mexico, Vivian Calder n Bogoslavsky, Colombia, Alexander Chernavskiy, Russia, Anita Endrezze, Washington, Paul Flippen, Colorado, Jeff Niles Hacking, Washington, Henry Hu, Australia, Doug Johnson, Washington, Sarah E.N. Kohrs, Virginia, Megan Magill, Illinois, Rudy Hansen Murray, Washington, Ndubueze Okonkwo, New York, Bridget Reweti, New Zealand, David Rodr guez, Spain, Judith Skillman, Washington, Marilyn Stablein, Oregon, Emily Townsend, Texas, Andrew Wesner, Seattle, Saint James Harris Wood, California.