VOLUME 39: METAMORPHOSIS

Dear Readers,

We offer up FOLIO’s very first all-Horror issue. In the wake of COVID, political upheaval, and natural disaster, we are encouraged by the breadth of imagination, heartened by the spirit of creatives coming together to create dark, magical things with life of their own. In this issue, contributors share terrorizing stories, creative essays that give us the creepy-crawlies, poems and art which inspire fear and disgust.

Our Art Editor’s Prize winner is “A Large Spread in the Garden” by Brittany Fanning, a piece depicting a twilit feast. With its smorgasbord of indulgence, we imagine this as Prince Prospero’s table upon the Red Death’s arrival. At a time where wealth is at its most disparate, gratuitous materialism becomes all the more vulgar, while the bottom 99% are cast aside.

Our Nonfiction Editor’s Prize winner is “Who’s at Your Poetry Reading?” by Lori Negridge Allen, a piece which satirizes literary readings and also gives space for writers to create their monsters. The Poetry Editor’s Prize winner is “Do you remember the den, Little Rabbit?” by Kalie Pead, a poem which explores the urge to be consumed by what will destroy us through one’s own agency, as well as the inertia of fate. The Fiction Editor’s Prize winner is “Faltering Weight” by Christine Boyer, which reveals a horrifyingly honest portrayal of motherhood as unglamorous, feral, and dissociative.

The critically acclaimed author, Melissa Broder, spoke to FOLIO about her latest poetry collection, Superdoom (Tin House, 2021) and novel, Milk Fed (Scribner, 2021). Both works explore the quotidian horrors of queerness, consumption, and shame. Broder sits her reader down face-to-face with their most intimate desires and fears. We hope you can find inspiration and solace while discovering the “and-ness of life” for yourself.

We are sure this issue has a little something for everyone. It is brought to you by the tireless efforts of our passionate AU Creative Writing MFA student staff under the valuable direction of Professor David Keplinger. We hope you enjoy the hair-raising tales that lie ahead.

Thank you for reading,

Lindsay Forbes Brown, Editor-In-Chief

Micaela Burgess, Managing Editor