Dear Reader,
The days are short and cold, so it’s time to cozy up and read your third issue of The Grail Volume XVIII, with the theme of homecoming! School dances, what truly makes a place a home, and so much more are explored here. This metaphor-laden collection has pieces showing a range of conceptions of home.
Find your way home against infuriating odds in Sonja Cowgill’s “IF LIFE’S A BOWL OF CHERRIES, THEN WHY AM I IN THE PIT?”(5), then travel through an original world in Joaquin Pellegrin-Alvarez’s “The Sun Over the Valley” (6). Marvel at long-forgotten lands with Adrian Keller Feld’s “Roots” (10). Plead with a longgone prophet in Finn Girvan’s “Cassandra”, then take a look at how it feels to pack up a lifetime in sasha sasse’s “Orpheus” (12). To close out, reflect with AW on finding home within yourself and your body, no matter how badly guests have treated it before (13).
After curling up at the hearth with this issue, embark on a journey of self-discovery: our next issue’s theme is bildungsroman. (Keep it to the length of a Dickens chapter, not a Dickens novel, thanks!) Watch out for us on SBInfo or visit reedthegrail.org for a link to submit your work! Until then, stay warm out there, and have a great winter break.
Hugs & Kisses
Caroline “Care” Paden (whose mother would like her full name on at least one issue),
Adrian Keller Feld,
Robert Bourbon,
and Inez Gallant
