Dear Reader,

There was a lot to consider when we decided on Freedom as a theme for Issue 24. At a time when so many of our freedoms, including our basic human rights, are being infringed upon or outright decimated, this theme felt more important than ever. If our so-called freedom is contingent upon the exploitation and suffering of others, then that freedom sits on nothing more than another imaginary line on the ground to which we have built societies, rules, and expectations around. A line that separates us from others, and therefore ourselves. As writers, it is our responsibility to call it out for what it is: imaginary. And imagination, more so, the freedom to imagine, is a powerful thing. Our goal with this issue was to highlight writers and artists that reimagine, deconstruct, and challenge our preconceived notions of freedom. We invite you to do the same.

The team at Stonecoast Review and I are honored to provide an insight into the brilliant minds that have made up this issue. Authors and artists who have used their freedom to imagine, to tell stories, to make art, so that we, us collectively and us plural, can bear witness to the multiplicity of freedom. From our writers, to our artists, to our editors, to our first-readers, thank you for freely sharing a piece of yourselves with the world through these pages. And thank you, dear Reader, for bearing witness.

Sincerely,

Sophia Gutiérrez Vega

Editor-in-Chief