Letter from the Editors

In a time when the world seemingly divides further and further with each passing day, HELD Magazine stands as the collective effort of all involved in its creation to fight against that. 
-- Felix

The blend, the blur, a sight of polyauthorship. An untimed dance. 
-- Sahar

The goal of this issue was twofold: explore how all systems are interconnected and extend an invitation that prompts small acts of resistance in an accelerated culture. I am speechless at the overwhelming talent of folks who carefully and deliberately made this goal their own. 
-- Meg

It is essential to the vision of HELD to prioritize people who identify as Black, Indigenous, racialized, 2SLBTQ+, and those living with disabilities. All of the contributors in this issue identify with one or more of these identities. These artists and writers are making meaning, in revolt, in renewal.
--Anna

The constellation of creativity, of collaborations, of how each piece in this collection is held by and holds each other, has been an inspiration for me. Both the editorial team and the contributors attempted to reorganize the very process of organizing each moment of materializing this inaugural issue, whether through the intense beauty of the mixed poem from Daze Jefferies and Violet Drake, or the playful pathfinding to a new future through conversations about survival, or the nurturing broth and place at the table where anyone can come to make the Kare Kare recipe of Patrick Cruz and Qian Cheng.
-- Jonathan

The voices curated in this 1st issue of HELD Magazine will send you off through haunted corridors in poems such as “Like Sudan” by Begumya Rushongoza and warm you through the feminist camaraderie of “Haka” by Kyra Shaughnessy. I am grateful to have been an editor on this important collection and excited to share these ambitious stories with you.
--  Jedidiah

I reached out to contributors who I felt had unique stories to tell, something to offer our audiences both artistically and in the written word. I am so proud of them for bravely sharing their truths and, through adversity, displaying grace, resilience, and innovation. The art pieces emote and move me. 
-- Nadia

We hope you will find touchpoints between the works curated here in our first digital issue. Those places of intersection and convergence that remind us we are all connected. The very making of HELD was built from these connections, with our team operating outside of a traditional hierarchical model. My desire for HELD is that it continues to be a site for collaboration and hybridity of form. 
-- Christine

I am grateful to have been part of this unique community of artists, writers, and creators. The current change from sharing physical space to digital has increased our sense of isolation and I hope HELD can facilitate moments of connection for both its contributors and readers.
-- Alicia

HELD is a home for truth, for resilience, for strength, for perseverance, for survival. Welcome home.  
-- Evren

Welcome to Systems in Revolt / Systems in Renewal,
The HELD Editorial Team