I hope you and your families are well during these unprecedented times and that you are all thriving creatively. If ever there was a time in history when we should be exchanging ideas, participating in thoughtful dialogue, offering inspiration, and gleaning deep insights into how we move forward as a people - the time is NOW. We have all disappeared. I understand; some of us are raising young children, tending to elderly parents, starting new or ending old relationships, working a nine to five and hopefully finding the time to hone our craft. I just find it incredibly odd if not disturbing that “we the people” who express ourselves through the written word have nothing to say about the dichotomy of this global pandemic - a deadly virus that doesn’t discriminate, while witnessing the slow death of an old regime that has threatened black lives for 400 years. We all need a paradigm shift. I appreciate that this vehicle was birthed to engage, sow and reap the benefits of human beings walking the same creative path. Artists and writers are and will always be the truth tellers, recorders of history, first respondents --- if you will. Many of us have died over our first amendment rights. I do not profess to be a political pundit, advocate or activist by any stretch of the imagination but I would certainly welcome commentary based on the collective thoughts of fellow writers as we all navigate our lives into an unfamiliar place --- perhaps uncomfortable for those of us who have had the luxury of wearing blinders that have quickly evolved into masks we can still hide behind, if we so choose. This is our time. I’m not speaking of opinions as much as I’m speaking about core beliefs, how they’re manifested and ultimately communicated, misrepresented or misunderstood. Respectfully, I ask; what are we talking about, writing about, thinking about during this time? What ideas are sparked through sincere discussion and honest exchange? What do we have to lose; personal growth, a glimmer of hope, an idea that has the power to ignite change? How can we write stories that ring true and provide our readers with solid testimony of the times if we don’t speak our truth, openly? At the very least, we owe all our children that much. Our voices are needed now more than ever. I’d love to hear from you…. it’s been too long.