21/01/2021
Editor’s Note
Nothing in this world has been as constant a motivator, manifester, and facilitator as gratitude has been for me. And in the spirit of this singular fact, I want to take this opportunity to thank you, dear reader, whoever you may be, for devoting your time, energy, and maybe even money to this magazine, this labor of love that you hold in your hands. It is an honor to have been able to bring this compilation of ideas and images and beauty to you.
It is my extreme pride to be able to say that in this first official issue of BEATIFIC, we have the privilege to already be a worldwide magazine. In this issue we have the honor of publishing poets from Morocco, Poland, Philippines, India, Canada, Australia, and Puerto Rico. This might be the thing of which I am most proud when considering this issue. We at BEATIFIC consider it part of our mission to combat racism, xenophobia, and the effects of imperialism and empire. As many of our influences have their origins in places outside of the United States, we are overjoyed that a number of those places or origin are making a return in our first official issue.
I would also like to take this moment to take all of the amazing authors who contributed their words to this publication, as well as the authors who submitted but who were not ultimately chosen for this issue. Every single submission is weighed and considered and appreciated. Nothing makes a magazine so much as the writers who submit their work to complete strangers in the faith that their work will be respected and treated with care, even in the case where those submissions are not accepted for publication. I don’t know if I can accurately express the amount of trouble a magazine is in when there is a lack of submissions, so I will just say that every magazine would be shuttered if it wasn’t for the brave and creative souls who put themselves out there win or lose, rain or shine. You are all important parts of our community, of our ecosystem, of our family. Thank you so much.
Lastly I would like to thank my co-editor and soul brother, Elionai Zaehariah. If not for you, this whole project never would have been started. We involved in this project, at every level, owe you a debt of gratitude for your energy, enthusiasm, and relentless passion for this project. Thank you forever and ever.
Love you as ever,
-ry