From Our Editors, Spring 2020
This is far from the spring book season any of us were anticipating. The pandemic has brought to an abrupt halt (or significantly changed) plans for most of our literary events, book publication dates have been pushed forward to the fall, publishers are dealing with significant financial losses, and our beloved independent booksellers are re-inventing their business models to keep books in our hands through curb-side pickup or home delivery.
Two months into the shutdown, the future remains uncertain. What is clear, however, is the absolute determination of the book community to find ingenious, virtual ways to continue putting art out into the world. The Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD) just wrapped up their 2020 festival, having quickly and remarkably pivoted to an online environment; Hamilton’s gritLIT festival is following suit with online writing workshops starting this month and going through June. Authors are posting online readings and talking about what it’s like to write during a pandemic, and book launches and tours are happening virtually. While it’s the selfless frontline workers in healthcare, food, and other essential services who are working so hard to keep us alive through this time, it’s our artists and writers who are reminding us of our strength, humanity, and resilience, and who are giving us hope for a better time ahead – an essential service of a different kind.
In that spirit, we bring you our spring 2020 issue. We hope in reading these insightful reviews, essays, and interviews you find some enjoyment and, if only briefly, some welcome escape from our current reality. Maybe you’ll find your next must-read and place an order with your local independent bookstore. Maybe you’ll be inspired to sign up for a writing workshop, do some writing of your own, or tune into an online reading. Whatever the case, we know you will join us in thanking our wonderful contributing writers for their work, for entertaining and educating us, and for providing some light in otherwise dark days.
Stay well, stay strong, and keep reading! We’ll see you again in the fall.
– Eds.