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"The experience of editing this journal was truly one of the best experiences anyone could have. Literature is filled with so much beauty and color that we as readers get absorbed into the voices leading us in the narratives. And the words on the pages make us feel, whether it's happiness, sadness, or anger. It's all beauty. The best part of literature is that it speaks to us unlike anyone else. So we are welcoming you - the reader, adventurist, creator - to this year's issue of Flumes."
- Flumes' Editors
EDITORS' PREFACE
While reading through every submission, it became apparent that we yearned for pieces which left us with a strong awareness, that evoked emotion, that transported us into the narrative and held us captive so that we did not want the last line to be the end.
One peculiar piece, which we knew we had to have and which we enjoy publishing, is "Dollmaker"; a truly horrifying story that establishes that frightening atmosphere right from the beginning. There are no words to describe this piece other than straight "disturbingly thrilling," which makes this story the most extravagant narrative in this journal.
Another creative work that was dearly loved by one of our editors was "Passport," brought to you by Carolyn M. Crane. This piece not only created sympathy for the main character, but also held the reader's attention from the first sentence to the last.
As we pulled all of these pieces together to shape this issue, we recognized that the journey you are about to embark on via these stories, poems, and photographs, is truly a roller coaster experience. We have chosen to allow the emotions to collide as you move from piece to piece, from front to back, just as the authors created a collision of emotions within their individual work. And, thanks to the authors featured here, we truly got an issue that defines "Summer."
Thank you for reading; we deeply appreciate all of our contributors who let us use their stories to bring you a magnificent journal that is filled with experiences ranging from inspiration to sadness, from falling in love to, yes, falling into terror. We hope you enjoyed reading as much as we enjoyed putting these pieces together.