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Dear neighbors,
If you, like me, want to become re-enchanted with the world, you are in the right place. We begin here in the Charles River Basin, where our feet are and where countless wonders await . . .
In our Desire Lines Issue, Sanjana Paul wrote about “Thrutopias,” a term coined by the ecological philosopher Rupert Read to describe a worldview that rejects the utopia-dystopia binary. A “Thrutopia” ignores both the fear of societal collapse and the hope of a perfect world and instead asks us to “imagine possibilities within the mess” that exists here and now. Sanjana recalled speculative fiction writers who have imagined responses to real-world problems, dreaming up alternative timelines that we could still tap into.
Thrutopias – a form of practical magic; an opening of portals and possibilities – led us to this issue. We knew we wanted Magic. We asked you: What worlds lie just out of reach, alongside our own? Christopher Silas cracks open a whole sound-universe in Jamaica Plain’s Southwest Corridor (p. 20). Jeff Fossett and Elise Washburn hold a seance for a stand of oaks in Belmont (p. 57). Mikaela Fitzpatrick takes us beneath the surface in “Swan Pond Portal” (p. 72). Anna Mudd brings the city to life with a Tarot deck, turning landmarks, stories, and icons into Boston Arcana (p. 31).
For some, Magic is enchantment: the delight and fascination of Kathleen Robinson recalling a praying mantis that appeared in just the right place at the right time (p.46), or Meg Pallis finding God in the Market Basket parking lot (p. 78) or Julie Ross watching lilies vanish in the Charles River Lagoon (p. 85). For others, it is what defies ordinary logic, like Eva Zasloff’s process of painting, an improvised dance with unpredictable materials (p. 40).
You might notice that this issue includes more poems than previous editions. We chose more poetry because it is potent, rhythmic, and meant to be read aloud. It gets into your body and begins to work on you like a spell.
- AC
Dear neighbors,
If you, like me, want to become re-enchanted with the world, you are in the right place. We begin here in the Charles River Basin, where our feet are and where countless wonders await . . .
In our Desire Lines Issue, Sanjana Paul wrote about “Thrutopias,” a term coined by the ecological philosopher Rupert Read to describe a worldview that rejects the utopia-dystopia binary. A “Thrutopia” ignores both the fear of societal collapse and the hope of a perfect world and instead asks us to “imagine possibilities within the mess” that exists here and now. Sanjana recalled speculative fiction writers who have imagined responses to real-world problems, dreaming up alternative timelines that we could still tap into.
Thrutopias – a form of practical magic; an opening of portals and possibilities – led us to this issue. We knew we wanted Magic. We asked you: What worlds lie just out of reach, alongside our own? Christopher Silas cracks open a whole sound-universe in Jamaica Plain’s Southwest Corridor (p. 20). Jeff Fossett and Elise Washburn hold a seance for a stand of oaks in Belmont (p. 57). Mikaela Fitzpatrick takes us beneath the surface in “Swan Pond Portal” (p. 72). Anna Mudd brings the city to life with a Tarot deck, turning landmarks, stories, and icons into Boston Arcana (p. 31).
For some, Magic is enchantment: the delight and fascination of Kathleen Robinson recalling a praying mantis that appeared in just the right place at the right time (p.46), or Meg Pallis finding God in the Market Basket parking lot (p. 78) or Julie Ross watching lilies vanish in the Charles River Lagoon (p. 85). For others, it is what defies ordinary logic, like Eva Zasloff’s process of painting, an improvised dance with unpredictable materials (p. 40).
You might notice that this issue includes more poems than previous editions. We chose more poetry because it is potent, rhythmic, and meant to be read aloud. It gets into your body and begins to work on you like a spell.
- AC