Letter from the Editor
Dear Reader,
Welcome to the summer issue of Nightingale & Sparrow Literary Magazine! While we’re still playing catch-up across the N&S nest, we’re delighted to bring this issue to life.
This issue was inspired by a piece published in one of our earliest issues, a piece that’s stayed with me through the years. As I plotted upcoming themes for our literary magazine, this one seemed ideal. Of course, this is coming out as we enter autumn; the pieces here, though, undoubtedly hearken to summer’s humidity and times spent in pools, lakes, the ocean, and beyond.
With submerged, we aimed to showcase the depths of water. To quote CNF editor Paige Lalain, we were searching for pieces that “play in the liminal space between sea and surface.” Submitters sent in many interpretations of this theme, and I’m confident we’ve selected some of the best.
“We are looking for poems, creative nonfiction, fiction, and visual art that mimics the moment a swimmer breaks the water’s surface,” we wrote to submitters. “Dive into the deep end, cool off in the worst of summer’s heat, and join us in the local pool, lake, pond, or ocean.” From Paula Turcotte’s “Chlorine Breakfast” and Roselle Farr’s “Beyond the Water Line” to Jessica June Cato’s “I Used To Get Ear Infections” and Mel Piper’s “Crest,” you’ll smell the salty sea air and feel the sand and stones beneath bare feet as you page through this issue.
As always, this issue wouldn’t be in your hands (or on your screen) right now if it weren’t for the incredible N&S team, our talented contributors, and all those who support our little literary corner of the world.
Without further ado—let’s dive in.
Juliette Sebock
Editor-in-Chief, Nightingale & Sparrow
