Dear Readers,
Yeehaw!
As the dust settles on the showdown between Joe Biden and he-who-shall-not-be-named, The Grail invites you to take a look at what constitutes America—the good, the bad, and the ugly—in this Americana issue.
Take me home, country roads—Wyatt M. sends us a poem with a countryside view pictured by Sophie H.’s photography (1) and Max N. shares a tale of familial festivities with all their uncanny in-betweens and not-quites (2). Sophie H. and Aislin L.S. celebrate America’s best idea with the sprawling landscapes of Yosemite Natl. Park (4). Get curious with the preview of Edie P.’s one-act play and make sure to check it out on the website (5). Open roads and old motels—indulge in Sophie H.’s shots of locations along the South West’s famed Route 66 (6). Nerissa W.’s illustration considers the results of the 2020 election (7). Bahar T.’s poems will plunge you into a healthy dose of yearning and still leave you wanting more (8). Tip your hat and sip some milk as you gaze upon Aislin L.S.’s snap of Dairy Country (9) before the our stop through Americana to Nowhere, USA, where Albert K. brings to life some of the stories we only see in passing (10).
For our next issue, we return soon (next Wednesday!) with the Short Story Contest edition. By the time this issue comes out, you’ll have three whole days to vote in The Grail’s short story contest on our website, reedthegrail.org. What are you waiting for? Show some love to our twelve talented contributors before Sunday at noon! Although we depart from Reed after Thanksgiving, we hope this issue of The Grail gives you a little piece of Reed to go home with. You certainly have our thanks for reading.
Warmly,
Sophie, most likely to go on an unnecessarily long road trip, camera in tow
Nerissa, most likely to sport mom jeans and ugly sweaters year-round
Lauren, most likely to be marveling at America by Simon and Garfunkel on repeat
Erik, most likely to run out of gas then check out the nearest ghost town
Dan, most likely to fall in love with a very dead man
and Aislin, most likely to bang pots and pans in a cornfield summoning aliens to abduct them
Art by Becky Yermish, Nerissa Wright, and Bahar Tarighi
Fiction by Max G. Nobel and Albert Kerelis
Photography by Sophie Halpin and Aislin Lighter Steill
Poetry by Bahar Tarighi and Wyatt Mischler
Play by Edie PAczkowski
Playlist by Grail & Friends
Playlist:
Gritty Grail
Wander down a dirt road or kick off your boots with these homegrown tunes for an afternoon rocking on a porch (Arnold Palmer not included).
You know you can’t stay long enough for the space to grow normal. You know the worst thing you could do is acclimate so much to its warmth that its distinctness stops being identifiable… You could never take access to that kind of wonder away from yourself. Not willingly.