Issue 2 Editorial

It’s been a long time coming, but Scape Issue 2 is finally here.

I don’t want to make this post entirely about me, but I do feel I owe readers and contributors an explanation.  So, let’s just say that the last few months have been a rollercoaster.  Back in June, I packed my bags for the Clarion Writers’ Workshop and headed off to San Diego.  It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to describe those six weeks at UCSD as life changing. Nor would it be hyperbole to say that life became even more tumultuous when I returned home to Australia.

If you’ve ever been through a period of high emotional stress, you’ll understand how draining it can be, and that sometimes it takes a mammoth effort just to complete necessary daily routines. It’s unfortunate, but it’s the voluntary or ‘for the love’ tasks that fall by the wayside when we don’t have the energy or capacity to keep things ticking along as normal.  For that, I humbly apologise to all involved with Scape and thank you for your patience.  Many of you offered kind words and encouragement over the last few months (especially various Clarion and Clarion West alumni who came out of the woodwork), and for that I am truly grateful.

The above all being said, Scape’s back and we’re here to stay.

I trust you’ll enjoy these latest five stories, and hope that they resonate with you at least half as much as they did with me.  Issue 2 whisks us away to two near-futures, Corie Ralston’s politically charged Nepal in the aftermath of a meteor shower, and Wendy Wagner’s grim vision of a not-too-distant United States. Patty Jansen transports us across star systems to a planet where the pattern of human colonisation shaped so much more than history.  Sandra M Odell gives us a wonderfully rich and warm take on a society that all readers and writers dread – one without books.  The fifth story? Well, have you ever thought about running off to join the circus? Read Orrin Grey’s Letters from the Monster Show beforehand. That way you’ll know what it might be like for those left behind.

Over varying periods and landscapes, each story in this issue goes beyond challenging its characters to also confront us as readers.  Our authors have tackled issues that we’re not always comfortable to examine, whether in YA literature or further afield.  We’re asked to think about sexuality and identity, religion and grief, power and politics. Is crime ok if we’re committing it for a noble reason? Should we try to fit in with the norms of our loved ones or find our own path? When is the right time to admit we’ve lost someone dear to us and move on?

Many of the questions in these tales are hard to answer.  Some of them, either in our world or the world of these stories, are terrifying to ask.  But can you ignore that nagging feeling in the back of your skull – the one that tells you that sometimes avoiding questions is more dangerous than facing them?

Yes, some of these stories are at first glance bleak and difficult.  I would argue, however, that they also contain an underlying current of hope for their characters – those who are brave enough to ask questions of themselves and their world and to deal with the consequences they find in the answers.

Best,

Peta Freestone

Scape Editor