In this year’s special issue, it was our sincerest delight to give a platform solely towards Black writers. 2020 has been a turbulent year, and a grand eye has been turned upon the injustices against the Black community. But a group of people should never be defined by their hardships alone. Our special issue has strived to provide a platform where the personal does not have to be political, where artists freely choose from where their art takes root. I invite you now to sit, read, reflect, and read again. Be an audience. Listen to the life that bleeds from each line, and revel in the grand humanity captured in this issue.
Meggyn Keeley
Emerging Writers Fiction Intern
In a year of constant grief, this issue stands to offer some relief, as the magic of storytelling often does. What a gift it is to have the words and stories of Black writers be the final markings of a year that had so devastatingly tried to push Black voices aside. It has been a privilege to gather these writers together, through the power of storytelling and community, and to read the unfiltered work that provides a glimpse into various ways of life. Let these stories engage you in thought and provoke varying emotions, from upset to wonder. And, of course, let’s celebrate a community, whose voices will never cease to be heard; whose stories will never cease to be told.
Arlene Opio
Fiction Intern
