We often think something big needs to happen to create change, whether it’s change within ourselves, our relationships, or the world in general. But the pieces in this issue show us that change, whether good or bad, occurs slowly over countless, unremarkable days. In “The Shearling,” Laura Voivodeship shows how quiet determination to learn to shear a sheep leads to a new sense of self over time.  In “Bridges” by Sarah Perret-Goluboff, the narrator subconsciously feels her relationship wane long before she can admit it and face the decision she must make. In “Saturated” Megan Robinson envisions a future where civilization is destroyed by a global flood, the result of many small yet thoughtless decisions made by millions of people.

 

The pieces in this issue also show us that change happens suddenly. In “Homes” by Molly Byrne the narrator is committed to a new relationship, until one day, suddenly, she’s not. In “Orphans and Mud Cakes” by Sarah Groh, a group of children play together, until one day they don’t. No matter how slowly drops of water fall into a bucket, there’s always a line between full and overflowing; a split second between when something is alive, and then isn’t. The moment we burst from our cocoon, no longer waiting for our wings to be ready.