Dear Reader,

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Summertime. Wildflower bouquets. As the world revels with color, we bring to you Overture, Issue 4 of Eucalyptus Lit.

 

An overture is a beginning. The first steps of a journey or the dawn of a new day—a promise that the future is filled with potential and discovery. In classical music, an overture sets the stage, introducing themes and motifs woven throughout the work. In this issue, our contributors present their own overtures. They invite you to dream with them the endless possibilities of what has happened and what is to come. 

 

For these pieces, ‘overture’ is in the opening lines that seize you, the first sentences that promise a tale worth telling. We hope you will step unflinchingly into these worlds and various realities. When you finally step out again, Eartha Davis knows they will remain with you, “a little in love, a little in loss.”

 

Overture also marks exactly one year since the idea of Eucalyptus took form. We were born in a group chat on a bus—that is, we were born in motion. And in motion we have stayed, only because of all of you: our readers, our submitters, our contributors, our editors. We have been continuously moved and inspired by the depth and diversity of your stories. It is our never-ending honor to share them.

 

As you journey through this issue, you’ll find the curious beauty of the humanity that together we have lived. We invite you to let each piece resonate, to linger in your mind. As Shannan Mann writes, “Once more, / once again, let me show you how to spell my name.” Let these writers show you their own. Let their words hold you. Let them inform your—our—capacity for change. DeeSoul Carson reflects on “[t]he season we believed a better world could be built if only we took the chance to begin.” We have loved and believed, imploringly, for the past season. May we all continue to begin this coming year—even more willfully than before. 

 

With faith,

Iris, Felix, Jessica,

& the Eucalyptus Lit team