CO-EDITORS-IN-CHIEF KRISTIN HOULIHAN & MELISSA ROTERT
Here at Epistemic Literary, the reason we exist is to create community through conversation. We are here specifically to hear, share, and learn from experiences different from our own. The need for this exchange is even more starkly obvious to us in the wake of the recent US election. In her Creative Nonfiction piece, “Free Drawings!” Megan Hanlon writes of her son, “All I can picture is his immense sadness when, someday soon, he realizes how little the world cares about most people.” This is a terrible truth so beautifully spoken, and even worse than not caring there is another reality. The reality of hatred, exclusion through hatred, and that hatred has just been massively legitimized through the votes of more than half of Americans.
We want you to know that at Epistemic Literary we reject that hatred. We have intentionally sought out and published the work of marginalized creators from around the world, and we will continue to do so and support you all. We do not publish or condone hatred in any form and we believe in supporting our contributors in writing and in life.
This issue was conceived of many months ago, the idea of exploring the various ways people experience being left out, a lack of human connection, and the pieces were selected before the election. As such, I think it stands as a testament to our belief in welcoming and giving a platform to underrepresented, often hated, voices. Over the course of our four issues, I personally have learned from so many of you, you’ve helped me to accept things I don’t or can’t understand, and pushed me to examine and reject my own biases. It’s not easy, and it shouldn’t be. It’s also not enough, but it’s something and I continue to grow.
As we publish this phenomenal collection of art and writing, I want to acknowledge that there is a unique pain that comes from creating an issue around the theme of Exclusion, knowing that the very nature of the selection process requires that we exclude many voices from the conversation. Rejections felt more personal this time, as writers bared their souls to us, shared their experiences with being left out, and then we said, “no, thank you.” There’s simply no way around that, and we are grateful to every person who submitted a piece of themselves through art or writing.
Thank you all for being a part of our efforts to facilitate knowledge, connection, and growth.
– Kristin Houlihan, Co-founder and EIC, Poetry
