Dear readers,
First, some good news—we have been successful with our annual fundraiser! Our heartfelt thanks for your generous support, whether that is in spreading the word or through subscriptions, donations, and fundraiser pledges. We are overjoyed to be able to sustain another year of publishing immigrant and diaspora authors and artists.
The theme of Issue 6.3 is Revolutions. When we chose this issue’s theme, I was reminded of the late great historian Vicente L. Rafael. He observed that Philippine history can be characterised by waves of revolution and counterrevolution, resisting periods of imperial violence, corrupt dictatorships, and global neoliberal capitalism. That idea of cyclical revolution resonated deeply given the multiple ongoing planetary crises we face today and the various efforts people continue to make to organise and aid each other, reflected in the multifarious approaches that this issue’s authors have undertaken in exploring revolutions.
In these pages, you’ll find animal conscription to satirize the surveillance state; soft power exercised through delicious food and subtle influence; the consequences of dressing up violence with pretty, evasive language; and body-hopping in wartime to survive and rebel. In these strange and forbidding times, we hope that these stories may offer hope and solidarity to our readers.
Lastly, we have a few announcements to make about our team. At the end of Volume 6, we are bidding farewell to two of our editors, Isabella Kestermann and Kanika Agrawal. Isabella and Kanika have brought incredible care, rigor, and passion to the stories they’ve championed, and the magazine has shone brighter under their touch. We are so grateful for their contributions and wish them the very best in their next adventures. We also thank Katie McIvor, who is stepping away as first reader.
Looking to the future, we will soon be joined by new editors Betty Fall and Sara Daniele Rivera, who will begin work on stories from Volume 7 onwards. We are also adding new first readers Aarti Patel, Juni Kvarving, La-Gaye Sailsman, and Tarini Tilve. We look forward to how our new team members will help shape the magazine in its next year!
With love,
Zhui Ning Chang, Kanika Agrawal, Isabella Kestermann, Danai Christopoulou
Editorial Team