Where I live, the aurora borealis painted the skies last week, a few days in a row, so I am told. I very much want to see them one day, and even though I had a second chance, and a third, I did not stay up late to watch; no, I did not say to the house, “Let’s go to the water and wait for the colors!” I had to make a choice: view the dreamy skies or continue working on my novel, of which I have imposed a target date of November 30th and another of December 30th in order to meet three small-press submission deadlines. Bathrooms are going uncleaned. Daily exercise has ceased. Instead of viewing the majesty of our world’s atmosphere, I am creating a new world on the page, which may or may not be experienced by anyone but me. This is the life of the writer. We sacrifice sensory experiences in order to conjure experiences of the mind and the heart. We usually think these countless hours by ourselves are worth our time, even though our time is limited. Ultimately, we know that we will surface from the page, that our absorption into the act of creation is temporary, and that when our written work of the day or month or year is complete, we will joyfully rise and join the living, fueled by the creative act of which we dip in and out.

In Volume 5, Issue 4 of Club Plum, our much-loved annual Literary Horror Issue, it is clear that the creators of these remarkable pieces allowed themselves complete absorption into the creative act. In this issue, we experience gorgeous and imaginative language aligned with horrific narratives, re-imagined well-known tales and surreal original inventions. Sometimes the horror is a familial secret; sometimes the horror is nation known. Perhaps we feel helpless, or perhaps we gain strength by writing it, and we tease out the horrors, and we summon them and shape them and present them: Here: Take it or leave it. This is what was done, and what I have done, and what we have done.

Please step into these worlds with us. We are so glad you are here.

Yours in Words and Art,

Thea

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