Feels Blind Literary, Issue 6
Summer 2021

Last December, I wrote, “We can't be complacent with taking back the White House or even winning the Georgia runoffs in January. Trump is a mere symptom of a much larger problem in this country. If these four years have taught us nothing else, I hope they've taught us that we have so much individual power and even more collective power, power we can harness to continue pushing for meaningful change at the local and national level. We need to completely reinvent what's possible in this country for all of us, but especially for those who are the most marginalized among us.” 

These words have never felt truer than they do today. Democrats did win the Georgia runoffs, but there also was an insurrection, Trump loyalists and white supremacists attempting to overturn the results of the free and fair presidential election. There was light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel when three vaccines hit the market, yet we’re still entering a fourth wave of the pandemic because a large percentage of the population refuses to get vaccinated. Jeff Bezos launched his dick-shaped rocket into outer space but he, like every other millionaire and billionaire in this country, still isn’t paying his fair share of taxes on planet Earth where many people live in abject poverty. For every step backwards, however, I also can identify several steps forward and name individuals who made those steps possible. Individuals like Representative Katie Porter who ensured we all have access to free COVID-19 testing and vaccines. Individuals like Representative Cori Bush who camped outside of the Capitol to protest ending the eviction moratorium. Progress wouldn’t be possible without people like Porter and Bush investing in their communities and the people who they were elected to represent.

Progress also wouldn’t be possible without writers and artists pushing back against the post-truth world we’re living in. By continuing to share their stories and work, they continue challenging others to confront difficult truths about who we are and who we are becoming. I count my lucky stars for our contributors whose very writing is a form of activism. I also count my lucky stars that Feels Blind Literary has been able to strengthen our own community outreach. Since our last launch, we’ve teamed up with STORY, a nonprofit committed to transforming the lives of children and families living below the poverty line through trauma-informed programming and community care. Through this work, I’m currently creating a book club and writing collective for middle school girls living in public housing. You can read more about the project here. We plan to showcase the work produced through this initiative in a special issue of Feels Blind slated to drop in Summer 2022. When I first launched this magazine, I knew I wanted to work on projects exactly like this. It feels good to see those dreams coming to fruition. 

There are several other big changes on the horizon for us as well as we continue to grow. We hope to see many of our contributors and readers at AWP this spring in Philly (aka, the best city in the world), but for now we hope you enjoy reading Issue #6 as much as we enjoyed putting it together. We are over-the-top proud of the work that’s included.

XO, Lindsay
Editor in Chief