Dear Issue I contributors and readers,

When we first came up with the idea of our own literary magazine during our freshman year, it was more of a feeling than a plan. We had a shared sense of possibility, of creation and joy, much like the feeling we experienced as we wrote our stories.

Over the course of the summer, as we met, planning how we could materialize our shared dream, the world shifted. During one of our many calls, we learned that many beloved creative writing lecturers at Stanford were being cycled out. The people we called mentors, our support throughout the precarious journey of writing and discovery, and the spaces they cultivated at an institution that emphasized engineering—that enchanted future had disappeared. We were reminded of the precariousness of creative spaces, and the ever-enduring need to preserve and protect them ourselves.

Today, just following the Super New Moon—a symbol of new beginnings—we welcome you to the space we have crafted.

We are deeply grateful to our wonderful contributors who have taken a chance with our newly-blossomed literary magazine and trusted us with their work. We would like to thank our editorial staff whose careful consideration and devotion to their craft have made this inaugural issue possible.

To many more beginnings,
Annabelle Wang