Editorial: Friendship

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As you’ll read, friendship means different things to different people. Friendship gives us the courage to face our fears, and ultimately, to change. That, and the bits of hope and fun that a good friend provides.

In March 2015, FFO published “The Last Man on Earth—A Mini-Novel” by John Guzlowski. In September 2017, we published the sequel, “The Last Man on Earth Crawls Back to Life—A Mini-Novel.” And now, seven years after we were first introduced to the Last Man on Earth, we’re delighted to publish the third and final installment.  I urge you to swing through our archives and read the first two “Last Man on Earth” stories, but be sure to also read Stanley Lee’s interview with John (March 2015). Yes, John is an award-winning poet and writer. He’s been nominated for Pushcarts and Pulitzers. But he’s also an amazing human being, and it’s an absolute privilege to bring “The Last Man on Earth Looks for a Friend—A Mini-Novel” (edited by Wendy Nikel) to our readers. We’d also like to thank FFO’s new Art Director, Cat Sparks (also brilliant and award-winning and a lovely human) for the original cover art inspired by “The Last Man on Earth” stories. Available March 4.

“June 323 BC” by Lindz McLeod (edited by Wendy Nikel) is a subtle yet poignant story of friendship told through a rather unique lens. “The heart is different… Maybe the heart is like the second-largest capital city, like Glasgow or Marseille—I don’t know what that makes the liver, because they’re usually heavier than the brain, and no one has been able to tell me yet what the correct corresponding entity should be.” Available March 11.

In “Double Promotion” (edited by Wendy Nikel), author Sudha Balagopal crafts a delicate coming-of-age story as a young woman is caught between grown-up expectations and her simpler childhood. Available March 18.

Our reprint this month is from the FFO archives. First published in January 2015, “Sea Ink” by Jennifer Linnaea (edited by Suzanne W. Vincent) is a beautiful fantasy story of compassion and sacrifice.

NEWS

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