All artwork appears courtesy of the artist Dawn Surratt.

Happy fall! And welcome to our October 2016 “SPIRITS” issue. We’re honored to share the work of these fourteen talented authors and grateful to be allowed to present their fine work to you, our readers. And each piece of writing has the further good fortune of being paired with the beautiful artwork of Dawn Surratt–work she has generously allowed us to use. We are also proud to introduce two new writers for whom this will be their first publication. As any editor will tell you, there’s a special kind of thrill involved in publishing first-time authors.

This issue exists, thanks in no small part to my devoted editors and readers who make my job so much easier, and to the contributors who have trusted us to showcase their work. Also, thanks for the gorgeous artwork, Dawn. You made each essay, story, flash, and poem pop just a little bit more.

Our January 2017 issue has a tentative theme of SPARKS.

As always, thanks for reading.

Yours in Recovery,

Mary Akers
Editor-in-chief