A Letter from the Editor

Dearest Starspun Dreamers,

What a journey this has been!

The idea for Starspun was first born out of a late-night rumination early this year. Though most late-night thoughts do not amount to anything, I am pleased to say that this time was different. After months of hard work and a laborous summer, it has finally arrived: Issue 1 of Starspun Lit.

Welcome to our wondrous world of fantasy!

Fantasy is one of those genres that has the power to truly transport you to different places—places that no car nor plane could ever take you to. As magic rumbles through the ground and dragons take to the skies, we become the adventurers and these stories become our quests. We are all on a journey to see where our imagination takes us. And although we diverge in the realms we end up at, there is one thing in common between all of us: we dare to dream.

Starspun Lit is truly my dream come to life, and I couldn't thank you all enough for helping make this a possibility. Thank you to our Board of Directors for enabling us to do, well, everything. Thank you to Hulan Chadraa, our Chief Illustrator, for putting up with my incessant requests for changes to each illustration (the hours she has spent on them these past few weeks is truly mindblowing). And, thank you to the three brave souls who have navigated this trial by fire alongside me. It has not been the smoothest of rides going from acceptance to publication in under a month, yet these three authors were nothing if not patient and understanding. If you have any kind words to share about their stories, we encourage you to reach out to them or email us so we can pass on the message. You may also leave a comment on our appropriate X post @starspunlit! We love supporting each other in whatever way we can 💜.

I would also like to formally welcome our newest artist, Thessaly Sumiya! She first began working with us as a guest artist and was assigned one illustration in The Dragon Keeper's Daughter. If you have not yet seen her work, check out the final illustration of that story! And for those of you who have already seen it, then you know just how beautiful and energetic her style is. So, it comes as no surprise that she will be continuing her journey with us as a volunteer artist. We are always looking for more artists to join our team, as well, so check out our art portfolio submission guidelines if you'd like to work with us!

By this point, I'm sure many of you are wondering, "what comes next?"

The answer is, quite vaguely, "a little of this and a little of that."

Our plans for November are not finalized as of now, as it is dependent on the volume of submissions we get for our current submission window (Psst! Writers! Submit your stories, now!), but we are anticipating to get started on Issue 2. And what a Thanksgiving treat that would be! We are also in the process of hosting our first read-aloud which will be announced soon.

Now, December, is an oddball of a month, but it will be an exciting time for Starspun as we will be hosting our first Workshop Month. As the name suggests, Workshop Month is a month dedicated exclusively to the development of writers and artists alike. We will be hosting one free virtual workshop for so you can hone in your skills before our next submission window opens. We will not be publishing any stories during that month, unfortunately, but we always encourage new submissions!

I feel I have been talking for much too long so I'll leave it there for now. On behalf of Starspun, I wish you all a very happy reading, and if you are a parent, then perhaps you will find your next favorite bedtime story for the little ones in this issue.

May the stars guide you,

Ramya Suresh

Editor-in-Chief