From the Editor's Desk
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Magical Realism
This month’s featured author extraordinaire, Isabel Allende, is the high priestess of magical realism. Neil Gaiman says, “Within a work of magical realism, the world is still grounded in the real world, but fantastical elements are considered normal in this world. Like fairy tales, magical realism novels and short stories blur the line between fantasy and reality.”
What a perfect way to describe what’s happening in our world today. Behavior by some government officials definitely blurs the lines between fantasy and reality. The über Herculean tasks performed by our medical professionals and first responders makes reality feel like fantasy. The everyday efforts of grocery store workers, truck drivers, postal workers, bank and credit union employees, farmers, and factory workers is nothing short of fantastical. Spouses and partners finally cleaning out the garage, building backyard ponds, and painting the kitchen is a reality many of us thought we’d never see.
There’s a lot going on to make us feel out of sorts, but holding on to the reality that things will get better is not a fantasy. It’s a waiting game. It’s patience we don’t think we have. It’s forcing us to dig deep and find the strength to believe.
You can do it. Authors in particular have an outlet for their angst, and now is a good time to coalesce those feelings and put them into characters on a journey to happy.
As Ms. Allende says, “Show up. Show up in front of the computer or the typewriter. And if I show up long enough—it happens.”
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