Letter from the Editors

Dear Reader, 

Welcome to issue five of Old Pal Magazine. It feels wonderful and a little unbelievable to be here. In the two-plus years since our last issue, the world changed. With it, your old pals changed as well. This is the first issue for which we had open submissions, and we have not been disappointed in that decision. The volume of submissions we received was greater than our hopes and expectations, and the work we have reviewed has been inspiring and beautiful. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!

It feels like we are stepping back into the light from a period of solitude and introspection. We have visions and dreams for Old Pal, and this issue is the realization of one of those dreams. Starting with issue five, we are compensating our contributors for their work. Though what we can give is only a small fraction of what these creators deserve, we believe it is important to show our appreciation in some way. The editors of Old Pal are all laborers in fields mostly unrelated to art and literature, but we all share the belief that creative arts are not only a salve to unrelenting capitalism; they can also provide examples of a better reality and means to inspire action. So, we will use our wages earned independently of the creative arts-funding world to give hope, encouragement, and (a little) sustenance to creatives we admire and love.

This is your Old Pal. We hope that you enjoy this issue and the incredible work of our contributors. We look forward to the future of the magazine and growing as a positive force for our shared community—and we hope that you’ll be there with us. 

With a smile, 
Old Pal Magazine