Emerge Literary Journal: 2020, Issue 15

Editor’s Note

Life happens when you’re not looking, and so do accidents, which we can all attest. This issue has some gems, nuggets, and outright jaw-dropping works. The selections for this issue were difficult to make as many talented artists submitted, some during our regular submission process and more than a few from our Lit Blitz. To our contributors, we thank you for trusting us with your love, tears, and souls. We continue to grow as a journal and press but none of it would be possible without the love and support of our community.

Enjoy our 15^th issue of Emerge Literary Journal.

Be Well. Write Well. Read Well.

Damon

Poetry

“Microscopy,” Lily Klinek

“Body Heat,” Aleah Dye

“Learning to Speak,” Jacob Nantz

“tofu,” Stuart Buck

“Elbow to Neck,” MA|DE

“How to Grow,” Bethan Hay

“I’ve Clawed My Way Back Up to the Surface of the Earth,” Kylie Martin

“In Places Like This,” Damian Rucci

“Dead Animals and Other Things I Avoid Thinking About,” Gretchen Rockwell

“I Need You to Know That,” “Christmas Pageant,” and “Time is Out of Joint,” Claire Scott

“Don’t Pick the Flowers,” Ashley Sapp

“pink turtle,” D.T. Robbins

“The Five Elements,” Nishtha Tripathi

“Untitled,” Edith-Marie Green

Esperanza Corner

“When I Say My Depression,” Ryleigh Wann

“The Almost” and “Lost in a Body,” Kara Knickerbocker

David Didn’t Speak, Amy-Jean Muller

ELJ believes that #mentalillnessawareness and #endingthestigma are of paramount importance. We believe in the necessity of sharing our mental illness and trauma stories to facilitate writing through illness and create broader awareness. We’ve created this corner to allow writers to not only share their stories but to be home to those who share in their experiences.