Letter From The Editors

Art has the amazing capacity to reveal what in essence it means to be human, showcasing aspects of what it would have been like during the time of that piece of art’s creation. This volume of Progenitor that we all had the privilege to work on was created amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, a time in which the everyday goings of the world would come to a halt. We hope that this magazine and all of the works inside will be a snapshot into what it meant to be a person in the time leading up to an era-defining occurrence.   

Many have come together in solidarity to fend off the coronavirus; the same can be said for the staff of this literary magazine. The effects of the coronavirus have made things difficult for everyone. Normal life has been ripped away, and multiple staff members have had to endure other adversities as well. It would do this wonderful team a disservice not to mention the hardship that had to be surmounted for this literary journal to find its way into the hands of the reader. During this time, we have had people mid-move, there was an expected baby, others had to care for ill and injured family members, and yet another works in hospice care. From all of the editors to the graphic designers and to the illustrator, in a time of crisis and isolation, we all relied on one another and came together as a creative team.

This Progenitor’s theme—a rebirth after death—came from intense deliberation centered around what it was like to live in the present, and what direction we thought society was heading. However, it is important to note that the theme was conceptualized prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus in the United States; only in hindsight did our theme come to fit the global situation so well. We felt that the societal climate was moving towards a pivotal moment, and at the junction, it would either continue along its current path, or the trajectory would alter towards a new future. 

This resulted in the image of mushrooms decomposing and growing from a skull in darkness lit by fireflies. The thought  process behind this was, that we as a society would learn what we can from our past experiences to build up the current time and future; anything that precedes something must grow from what was, to what is, to what will be. No one can fully foretell the future—no one expected this to happen. Everyone is going through difficult times; it is only in darkness that a mushroom can grow, and it is from dark times that we have the greatest growth.

There is much uncertainty about our future as we head to press. We do not know how long we will be kept in our homes, nor do we know what kind of world we will be walking into when this has come to pass. Whatever that world is like, it will not be the same one as before. Unfortunately, this Progenitor will not be distributed directly after it is printed due to quarantine. You the reader will be reading this once all this has come to pass, during some new normal, one that has hopefully been changed for the better. Or perhaps you are reading this years from now during some other normal. Either way, we’re sure that you all are making and consuming art that reflects the times. 

Sincerely, 

Cole Bloom and Jason Truitt 

Co-Editors of Progenitor Art & Literary Journal 

We would like to dedicate this volume of Progenitor to all those who lost their lives to and in the fight against COVID-19. As well as to all those who go on living in their stead, and are fighting to build up both the present and the future.