dear reader,

In lieu of a theme for Issue 25, the editorial team at Stonecoast Review sought the most thought-provoking work; celebrating and amplifying the best emerging artistry we could find.

Wrapped in the solitude of Vishaal Pathak’s, “Horizon,” we hear a broad collection of voices rising from our vibrant community of authors, collage & mosaic artists, disability advocates, editors, emergency physicians, gardeners, organizers, journalists, leadership coaches, librarians, massage therapists, MFA candidates, musicians, photographers, playwrights, poets, professors, teachers, theater directors, and of course, writers. Their words, not ours.

Through their uninhibited, collective expression, we find coherence in life’s fragility, as with Miles Meth’s, “Compass” and Jennifer McKeen Rodrigues’s, “Once, I was a sack of sugar,” in death’s uncertainty, as with Chachee Valentine’s, “Follow the Music” and AJ Wright’s, “I’m Writing Life Again,” and in the complexities we ruminate on along our way, as with Linda Ryynänen’s, “I Find Another Publication On The Arctic by Someone Who Did Not Grow Up Here” and LJ Wright’s, “A Hooligan’s Game.” These are but a few of the many outstanding pieces that grabbed our attention and refused to let go.

So, thank you to all our amazing contributors for your bravery in sharing your words with the world. We are proud to stand alongside you.

Additional thanks to the readers, editors, advisors, and broader Stonecoast Review community who came together to be a part of

Issue 25; a moment we will forever share, united by words.

Write on!

Ryan Schmidt

Editor-in-Chief, Stonecoast Review