Letter From The Editor
Hello there, dear Reader
What we have here is a very late March issue, but one that I feel (justifiably) very proud of.
Let me start by talking about our cover image. Word!’s Associate Editor, Alex Savilo, and I were transfixed by this photograph we had found online. The photographer was a 14 year old girl from Germany and the image was titled “The Truth.” This photograph relates to almost every one of the written pieces in this issue. The arresting, bright blue stare of the eyes echo the themes of our articles relating to privacy and the perils of the Information Age. We talked about Islamic revisionism, and indeed, in our present culture, one immediately associates a black veil with Islam. The veil and the burqa are a hotly contested women’s rights issue-in this issue we talk about other crucial female issues of our time: abortion and media-propagated sexualization of young girls.
Perhaps what is most significant to me, though, is the title “The Truth” and the fact that the face portrayed in the picture has her mouth covered. Her eyes open, but her mouth covered. She watches, but she has no voice.
Many people (and this is especially true of teenagers and young adults) have no real avenue to voice their opinions or share their experiences in writing. Consider this after you have read through the March issue; how many school newspapers or literary journals would have published many of the pieces we have featured here? It would be fairly unusual, however progressive your school (and most schools are not) to find articles on Islam and abortion in their publications. Stick to reporting on the Homecoming Dance, the school administration generally decrees. Leave controversy well enough alone.
One of the reasons I find running Word! so fulfilling, in spite of all the attendant frustrations and commitments, is that I feel like we are giving young people voices. Because these stories deserve to be told. These opinions deserve to be heard. As for our cover image’s title being “The Truth”-this is what I personally think about the matter:
Writing, at its best and most honest, is the dissemination of truth, not the capital T Truth usually advertised from pulpits and in self-help books, but simple, individual truths that all of us unearth bits and pieces of in our lives. One of the greatest things about writing and literature is that any of us who can read can discover bits of other people’s truth, broadening our horizons and opening our eyes to things we might never have discovered through our own experiences. We can become better, wiser, more aware human beings. Our truths deserve to be heard, to be read, to be told; they should not be veiled or held behind watchful, fearful eyes. And so-the need for publications like this.
Word! is now seven issues old. For me, many aspects of it are fairly routine and passée-the technological glitches, the Viagra and auto insurance comments that our spam filters (usually) catch, the all-nighter-or-close the day an issue is finally put up, the late submissions-the list goes on. But one thing I never cease to be impressed with is the talent and dedication of our contributors. We could never have made it this far without blood, sweat, tears, staunch support and some wonderful writers and artists. Thank you. All of you.
One last thing. After our April 2009 issue, Word! will go on an indefinite hiatus, due to personal reasons on the part of the editors. Yes, you heard right. April could be our last issue. Your last chance to write something for us. Don’t let this pass you by, folks.
But for now…happy reading.
Warm regards
Sarah Mathews
Word! Editor-in-Chief
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March 18 2009 08:09 pm | Uncategorized
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