In “Juego y Teoría Del Duende,”  Federico García Lorca writes:  “And so, duende is a power, not an act; a fight, not a thought. I heard an old guitar master say: duende does not dwell in the throat; duende climbs up inside you, from the soles of the feet...”

When I was fifteen a family took me in; they taught me how to cook and garden and the dad gave me books; we spent hours talking about the power of story-telling. They taught me how to practice gratitude when facing hopeless horizons; this isn't easy; this is discipline.

Have you ever had a conversation/experience that makes you feel like you’ve been sucked into a dimension where everything you believe has a question mark?

I often feel overwhelmed and utterly unequipped to deal with my problems; yet, looking back, I can see that I’ve completed many challenges I previously considered insurmountable. I used to struggle to draw stick figures - now, I have Lydia. And like the flowers on her face, I am always growing. 

You’re looking at an ultraviolet laser shining through thick printed glass, onto a board covered with phosphorescent pigment. This pigment super-charges the glow and prints the image onto the board, temporarily.

So: The arctic is on fire and the earth has quaked since we last spoke. There’s been death, hope, and devastation.

A year ago my heart broke at dawn; you’ll read about it in this issue, where we explore the theme of survival.

Let’s jump right in. It’s the first day of June; June means pride; pride means squashing secrets. Our very first issue is just about that—secrets.