A Letter from the Editor
The best part about editing Plenitude is, of course, reading the submissions. And it feels sometimes like I’m taking the pulse of our collective unconscious—discovering what is on those solitary writing minds as we sit at our computers or notebooks uncovering our perspectives. Last spring, many of these submissions focused on families: estranged fathers or father figures, children, mothers. This winter we were thinking about love.
When I contacted Elisha Lim about illustrating the cover for this issue, this is what I wrote them: “I’ve been getting lots of submissions on the subject of love this time around—awkward attempts to find it, experiences being grossed out by it, more sentimental stories, finding someone online, stories of first boyfriends etcetera. Some really diverse stuff, yet linked along those lines.”
Then they came up with those four words, laid out perfectly:
the crush
is mutual.
How fortunate. How foreboding.
Here are a few morsels of what’s inside Issue 2: Sierra Skye Gemma’s story of lust in the 90s Portland punk scene may make you squirm. You may cry as Jim Brega remembers his great love at the dawn of AIDS. George K. Ilsley will make you put down your device and reminisce about your first love, and Alex Leslie will have you sifting through your box (or acccordion file or inbox) of old love letters—what would you redact?
Thank you to all the contributors, readers, and to everyone who submitted to this issue. It is a privilege to read your work.
Enjoy!
To receive Issue 2, click “Subscribe.”
