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Editors' Preface
The Flumes editorial board would like to thank all of our contributors, subscribers, and everyone who offered their work for consideration. We had a record number of submissions this time. The process of deciding which pieces best fit into this issue was no small task. Though time consuming, we are thrilled to read each and every submission. Whether it is the chance to be lost in fantasy, to investigate the conundrum of the human condition, or to come suddenly upon the simple beauty of the seemingly mundane, literature speaks to each of us. It heals, inspires, offers deeper meaning, and the discovery of pieces that take us on this journey kept us reading and designing into the early morning hours.
Below, our editors offer their answers to the question "Why literature?" We hope this issue answers that question more fully than any of our own words can.
Brenna Cariker
Literature melts away our shells and reveals the core of our thoughts, and it reminds us we are not that different from one another. It brings magic into the everyday life and makes you ask, “What if?” The mystical crows in
"Ka and Ib" haunted me, and now when they glance at me sideways and say a passing caw, I always meet their eye and smile.
Kristina Heflin
Literature is universal and ageless. When I read Shakespeare, I feel the same emotions evoked that I feel when I read something as touching as “All the Lost Things.” That’s not to say there’s not room for innovation and creativity, but at it’s heart, literature is about exposing the human condition. It makes us examine ourselves and the world around us with new eyes to see the things that have always been there.
In this issue we address the question: "Why Literature?" Literature speaks to each one of us in ways that cannot be compared. To some it is just writing on the walls, and nothing more. They take literature for its face value and don't appreciate it to its fullness. Yet others are addicted to the written word and find themselves reading everything they can, anywhere they can. These are the kind of people we hope will enlighten us all. For they are the visionaries to which literacy continues on in the hearts of many. These are their words; take them for what you will.