Hi readers,
We’re excited to share our fifth issue with you, an issue that deals with themes of stagnancy and action. In each story, characters must choose between passivity and action, something that, to us, feels very timely in a weird, not-yet-post-COVID world.
In Anthony D’Aries’ “People Like Us,” Daniel finds himself at the home of his dead idol, in a tense stalemate with his idol’s wife, one in which she clearly has the upper hand. In Lili Xie’s “The Ginkgo Tree,” Ying works at a convenience store, waiting for her life to start. In Justin Stone’s “Sky Clipper,” surly sixteen-year-old Ashton begins to open himself to a new and surprising friend while spending the summer doing community service. Each story deals with feeling stuck—in your life, in an interaction—and having to choose to stay stuck or move, open yourself up to hope and disappointment.
For us, quip has been an exercise in opening ourselves up. We weren’t editorial newbs, but we didn’t know much about running a lit mag outside of a graduate school bubble—and it’s been the best. Spending time with these stories over the past four years has been an immense joy and privilege, tapping into our creative selves when we both felt like corporate sellouts. When we weren’t working on our own writing, quip reminded us of the power of storytelling. Of keeping ourselves open. And now that we’re both writing again, we’re diving in headfirst. This means we’re taking an indefinite break from quip. But we’ll leave the stories up for everyone to read and share for years to come.
Thank you to everyone who has ever submitted to us, for the thousands of stories that have come across our desks (more like our computer screens, but you know what we mean). Thank you to our readers and our talented contributors who have made this such a pleasure. And thanks to our friends and family, for your constant support and love.
Yours,
Anna Blake and Sarah