Note From the Editors

It is difficult to express how excited we are to share our inaugural issue. We were astonished at the number of submissions we received—it made our selection process feel nearly impossible. Thank you to all the writers who took a chance by submitting to an unknown publication—it was an honor to read such a broad array of ideas and approaches. 

The result is this singular and moving collection of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction by writers, both established and emerging, from across the globe. Each piece, in its own way, demonstrates an intricate approach to writing that lingered with us and left us thinking in new ways.

Today, it feels like the mechanization of life is speeding up and dragging us into its orbit. But the human questions, feelings, and experiences with which writers continue to grapple through the magic of language is a form of resistance—is a tether to what is human. In this we take great heart. 

Thank you to the Library of Congress’s photo archives for the free use of the images that adorn each of the following pieces. And thank you, reader, for finding your way here, supporting these writers, and for perusing our first attempt at this literary magazine that has been merely a dream for so long.

We hope you enjoy reading.

Sarah & Sovay, somewhere in the Southwest