Dear Readers,

It's the beginning of a new year, and whether you're more in tune with philosophers of antiquity or pop hits of the late 1990s, I'm sure you've been reflecting on what has ended with the close of 2024, and what fresh starts and new horizons we find ourselves pondering in the early days of 2025. 

A few months ago (though it feels longer), we were nearing the end of Septemberand enjoying reading the final wave of submissions that came in for our Issue 3 deadline.

Then, as Helene closed in on Western North Carolina and the internet went oddly quiet, things took a bit of a drastic turn. 

As some of you may know, this journal was founded by graduates of the MFA Program for Creative Writing at Warren Wilson College (though there is no official relation) and one of us (Reed) grew up there.So while we (the editors) are not currently in Swannanoa, the place is without a doubt the spiritual home of the journal—the origin of the community that it celebrates and from where it draws inspiration. 

Seeing Helene's complete and utter devastation has led us to reflect, and we've chosen to delay the release of this issue by two months (forgive us) to give more space for what has felt more urgent: encouraging donations to our friends at Manna Food Bank, drawing attention to the environmental and human crisis of Western North Carolina and beyond, and, quite simply, checking in our people and places. 

Today, the "recovery" (to use a perhaps euphemistic term) is mixed. Some sections of Asheville have seen an enormous influx of funds and recovery donations and efforts, while other sections of Swannanoa—further from the tourists' eye and chamber of commerce interest—remain unrecognizable.

But, the people continue to come together. The mountains of North Carolina have always been a fiercely independent place, culturally and creatively, and that community will, in one form or another, persist. 

We are proud to present our third issue, and are proud of the range of work encompassed. From lyric to narrative poetry, from flash fiction to longform, this is a distinct choir of voices, and we are additionally excited to introduce our new "INTERVIEW" feature, which in this issue is a conversation between poets Catherine Barnett and Sally Keith. 

Most of all, we are excited for what's ahead. We've had a few months to enjoy this work for ourselves, and are thrilled to share it with you and celebrate these fine writers. From there, we'll re-open submissions for our Spring/Summer issue, and look forward to seeing the inbox fill with new work. 

So, Happy New Year from your Swannanoa Review editors, and we hope you enjoy —

Thank you, as ever, for reading —

Reed Turchi & Kate Welsh