Letter from the Editor

By Hayley Peterson

Issue 39 • Spring 2019

Dear Reader,

In this issue, you’ll find stories of not quite adolescence and not quite adulthood—the unique space between child and parent that we might just call generation. You’ll find essays and poems about the body—how it is at once the thing that holds us upright and the thing others use to hold us down.

Some issues come together with clear themes, and this definitely isn’t one of them. But I love the feel of this collection of art. I love the intersection of stories, of language, of place, of bodies, of identities.

But don’t just take it from me. Read what our editors had to say about some of their favorite pieces:

Poetry Editor Tori Cárdenas writes, “In ‘Pentimento’s’ free and playful verse, henry 7. reneau paints a not-so-dystopian picture of our nation, in which the everyday violence against black bodies is chillingly palpable. The images he conjures are tangible and staring you in the face, even through the screen you read it on. The poem’s examination of a fabricated national identity is a challenging one, but encourages us to reevaluate who we are and what we stand for. To present reneau’s work is an honor, and a hope that this spell-like poem can help us to ‘dis-remember who we are/that some things should never be taken for granted.’”

Nonfiction Editor Ryan Murphy writes, “I’m a sucker for pieces that break my expectations. Maritza Estrada’s ‘How to Celebrate’ takes a coming-of-age story and through a shift in perspective portrays it with a simplicity that is stunning and raw.”

Fiction Editor Ari McGuirk writes that in “The Full Windsor,” the story’s voice leaps off the page. “It’s crisp, sharp, laser focused and showcases how toxic masculinity is transferred through generations.” Of “Driftwood Campfire” Ari says, “Addiction is crippling. Watching an innocent teenage boy literally drift in its destructive aftermath, with no clear path forward, is heartbreaking and pulled off beautifully in this story.”

You’ll also read a poem called “Lesbians at the Gun Store”—a personal favorite. You’ll love the word lesbian a little more than you did when you opened this magazine.