Letter from The Editor

Dearest Gentle Reader,

(Ok, so I took that intro from Lady Whistledown of Bridgerton fame.)

I hope you’re doing well. Or as well as can be under the *gestures broadly* circumstances. 

It seems that we’ve been living in a time vortex since 2016. I could postulate about the whys, the histories, and all of the oppressive systems that led us to this moment, but it would only add to the cacophony of the internet that no one needs more of right now. 

Boomers had clichés, Gen Xers had every Fuck and Zero Fucks to give, and Millennials? We have the privileged among us echoing prior generations’ same old, same old, and the broke yet compassionate among us telling each other to hold our dear ones close and remain in solidarity on the right side of human history. Time will tell for Gen Z and beyond what notions carry them through turbulence. 

I don’t have time for empty words and vague hopes for a future I’ll never see. I want the stories and moments that matter. I want the art that makes us gag and breathe and live to see another day. I want the unsung heroes to be recognized for the phoenixes they are, the marginalized among us have the time and space to be vulnerable and soft, and the rising tides of victory become more than a dream. And I want it all right now. 

It’s greedy, I know. Maybe selfish. Certainly unrealistic.

I joined The Echo because I see the same spark and desire in everyone who creates with us. When one of our writers interviews someone with important, silly, or beautiful things to say about their work or life, we all shine. When another writer pours their thoughts and emotions into a piece of narrative or poetry, someone’s cup is filled for the day. Or when still another Creative captures a salient scene with their camera, Truth regains a beacon. 

I don’t know what lies ahead. Will we even get another presidential election? Will Cascadia have to secede from the nation? Will Seattle ever quit tone-policing public art? Will Saint Rat invite Gritty to dinner? These are the questions The Echo might never be able to answer, but at least for now we can offer a bit of reprieve from your daily doomscrolling and news cycle. 

Please take care of yourselves and your communities when you can. The only true enemy of fascism is solidarity with those most impacted by oppression. May our love for each other and the stories we tell be a lighthouse in the fog. 

Kindly,

Mary Adner, Editor