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  • Issue 11 - Witch
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Editor's Thoughts - Abigail Pearson

7/31/2018

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Sappho 

Like the very gods in my sight is he who
sits where he can look in your eyes, who listens
close to you, to hear the soft voice, its sweetness
         murmur in love and

laughter, all for him. But it breaks my spirit;
underneath my breast all the heart is shaken.
Let me only glance where you are, the voice dies,
         I can say nothing,


  • Like the very gods by Sappho

This issue’s themes are very special to me, because as a bisexual woman I am always looking for queer themed prose and poetry and art. So it’s very exciting for  to be writing out my thoughts on this theme and to hopefully be inspiring someone to submit to us.
Sappho was a woman who lived in Ancient Greece, she was a poet but she was also supposedly a lesbian. When I did some research into her life I found out that her sexuality is debated about by some scholars, which is frustrating but such is life. Apparently some of this debate is around the fact that not all of the lovers she refers to in her poems are females, but for some reason the fact that she could have been bisexual doesn’t seem to enter into the minds of ‘’scholars’’. Another thing I find to be frustrating is it seems to me that the only people debating her sexuality are cis straight males.
Whether she was gay or bi, it doesn’t really matter to me much. What matters to me are her poems and the eloquence in them. What matters to me is that we can still read the musings and words of a woman who loved women. This matters. It matters because representation for the lesbian community matters. Because we all matter.
Sappho was an amazing poet, her words are thrilling to read even today. I hope that you all are inspired by them and write your own poems dedicated to love of all genders. 

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Editor's Thoughts Lauren Walsburg

7/30/2018

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Inari Okami: The Fox Who Crosses Boundaries
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Inari Okami has been depicted as male, female, and androgynous. In this issue, I want to see writing that breaks down gender barriers.

The figure of Inari Okami is often linked to the fox, or kitsune. Foxes symbolise the cunning trickster. They are generally not malicious, but rather must use their intelligence to become the victor of their conflict.

In terms of this issue, I see the fox as being the figure who uses its knowledge to cross boundaries and educate others about the importance of being true to oneself. This issue is a celebration of the LGBTQA+ community. I can’t wait to see what you all come up with.

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Editor's Thoughts: Grant Pearson

7/25/2018

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​Ardhanarishvara 

In Hindu mythology, Ardhanarishvara embodies all that is both male and female into a single form. The supreme god of creation, Shiva combines with his lover, Parvati, the mother goddess of nurturing, to create an androgynous being that manifests both of their strengths. This form is particularly inspiring to the LGBTQ community – and especially those who identify as nonbinary -- because this implies the strengths of males and females should be mixed and inseparable. Neither can be isolated from the other because they are strongest together.

As Ardhanarishvara, there is no male or female. They simply exist as the supreme being of creation, power, and love. They combine the stereotypically male attributes of power and authority with the stereotypically female attributes of empathy and care to create the ultimate embodiment of balance. How can strength be used to the benefit of all without empathy for all? How can creative energy be put into an effective form without care and patience for the final outcome? How can a ruler be deemed good without love for their subjects? Wouldn’t the best leader be the one who acts as both mother and father, as both god and goddess?
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The point of all this is to say: the older I get and the more I involve myself in the LGBTQ community, the more I hope we all reach a point when we are able to assimilate ourselves into the same form as Ardhanarishvara, as both male and female, as both creator and nurturer, and as both leader and lover, because what could be more powerful than that?
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Issue 5: Seer - Out Now!

7/13/2018

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Issue 5: Seer is now officially out and published!  I (Abigail) apologize for the delay in this issue, but I am so proud and excited to share it with you now. Thank you to all of my staff for all their work.  Thank you to all who submitted and for all the lovely work we are showcasing this issue. And of course thank you to all of our readers.  I hope you all enjoy!  
Open publication - Free publishing
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