Letter from the Editors: Fate on the Wind

art by Alyssa Manalo

Dear Beloved Reader,

Today, we enter a new year, cradled in the quiet thrum of the Wind’s breath, like a promise passed between eardrums in the dark. The currents of tomorrow stir at our backs, both gentle and wild, murmuring of untenable futures, of doors that open only to close again. Some winds are gentle as the breeze from a lover’s eyelash, others violent like waves breaking against stone. Yet these winds, both soft and wild, carry us forward still. 

Our bodies become akin delicate dandelion seeds as we are swept into the sky and propelled into precarious horizons. As we sink into the plush embrace of the wind, we are curious: when the Wind shifts, suddenly and without warning, when the world tilts beneath us like a ship tossed on a dark sea, how will you respond?

This issue Fate on the Wind invites you to consider your response. Will you surrender your body to unfamiliar tides or will you cling to the shore, anchoring yourself to all that is familiar? Will you build a home amidst the tempest or will you flee it entirely? 

Even more, we are curious whether we are merely passengers of the Wind—lost, tossed, scattered across the sky—or if we too hold the power to bend fate to our will. What if the Wind not only moves us, but moves through us? What if we shape the Wind, just as it shapes us like storms carving rivers through stone? 

Perhaps the truth is that our bodies and the Wind are not so distinct after all. Perhaps we are all made of the same breath. Perhaps when the earth inhales, when its breath reaches deep into the heavy folds of the mantle, its exhales rise through us both—filling our lungs with the same Wind that sweeps over the land.

Artist Alyssa Manalo rustles open the pages of this issue with her beautiful cover art. But Artist Corinna Keum and author Danielle Z. are quick to follow with the evocative science fiction short story “The Color of Qing.” They imagine a daughter’s migration away from a ravaged earth, testing whether a mother’s love can reach the edges of the known universe. With art from Lanie Myaing, Diana Zhang’s “Familiarity” is also cradled by the love of a mother, as she indulges in the sweet taste of childhood that lingers on her lips. 

With the smell of nostalgia ripe in the air, author Megana Kumar and artist Gloria Sung breathe in deep. The epistolary “Dear Lucy” travels through the stages of grief as a mourning husband clings to the past amidst a battle with a flower-eating deer. In a series of journal entries entitled “Aug. 31 xx45,” Rishi Chandra creates a beautiful world of wonder through a traveler’s longing for purpose, brought to life by the art of Judy Zhao.

Bhavya’s “Lovers in the Night,” with art from Livs Sun, depicts the intoxicating attraction of a decaying relationship. The poem reveals the burden of unfulfilled desire through a couple who is irreparably incompatible yet doomed to find each other over and over again. Sarayu Kurra’s poem “Gone With the Wind” also considers an inebriating and paralytic relationship between a star and their fame. With art from Justina Lu, the pair question the true cost of stardom and whether success is controlled by the celebrity. 

Alongside the homey art of Sneha Lakamsani, Helen Do’s poem, “Peopled Possibilities,” reflects the comfort of relying on the community around you to change and grow, memories tied together to catch you when you fall. 

Finally, in the satirical screenplay, “All in a Day’s Work,” writer Melanie C. and artist Sarah Jun dissect the relationship between heroism and fate. The piece explores how the Wind may push us toward roles we never chose, questioning whether true heroism lies in fulfilling the expectations of others, or finding your own path. 

Thank you, as always, to our faithful editorial team and our dedicated creative staff. We are thrilled to launch into the new year alongside all of you, ready to seize the reins of fate and explore new, breathtaking horizons. 

A heartfelt thank you as well to our loyal readers, whose support we hold in endless gratitude. And as we begin this first issue of the year, we invite you to reflect on the idea that fate is not merely an external force acting upon us, but something in which we actively participate.

With all our love and all our breath,

Jasmine and Aliza