Editorial by Emily Yu
470 words, ~2 minutes reading time
Issue 8 (Summer 2025)
Welcome to our third summer issue!
I’ve always preferred the transition months of spring and fall to the overbearing heat of summer or the icy Alberta winter. But as much as I want to write off summer as nothing except sweaty crowds and sunburns, I’d be lying if I said it was static and boring. Changes happen, but gradually, subtly, without the boldness of yellowing leaves or the pride of budding flowers. Garden foliage barely changes day-to-day until suddenly we find it thick and lush, vines heavy with fruit and root vegetables shrugging out of the earth. Days stretch ever longer until they creep slowly back, like summer is sneaking out the door, too polite to tell us they need to go. It’s not until we’re deposited in the evening darkness that we realize they’re gone.
Over the years, our planet has changed, our society has changed, and certainly we have changed too. The summers of our youths are different than the summers of now, and sometimes it’s hard to discern how much is the season around me versus the evolution within me. The smoke of forest fires never choked the air when I was kid, and now it comes every year bearing a message of desperation and despair from somewhere nearby, the noxious smog polluting our lungs and blocking our sun. The rains come heavier, the heat more stifling, and I see it all as Mother Nature’s protest against what we have done, and what we will continue to do. With the rise of AI and all the resources it needs, I only imagine it will get worse. I can’t go back to the childhood innocence of bike rides, Slip ‘N Slides, and melting ice cream cones.
There is still a lot to enjoy, except they are different things now—backyard barbeques, outdoor festivals, and floating down the Bow River with a cold beverage in hand. I’m still not a fan of the heat, but I’ve been learning to bask in it instead of hiding away. It’s still me in summer, different than before.
If you haven’t guessed by now, change is a big theme for this issue. These stories and poems are about growing up, growing apart, and growing together. As much as our characters wish they could stay locked in their favourite moments, life goes on. Our relationships don’t always come with us, and sometimes holding on can hurt more than letting go. Some of our protagonists will learn that change isn’t always a bad thing; maybe it can bring us closer together. The same relationships years apart look different, and that’s okay—that’s the beauty of connection.
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The issue features portals, aliens, and metamorphoses; we hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we do and as always, thank you for coming along for the ride.
