Editorial

At some point within the last year, we decided to open a separate email account for fiction submissions to SHOUT. It was a decision dictated by the volume of stories and poems readers send us every day, but also based on the belief that we need to appropriate a fixed, adequate amount of attention to those who have shown their vulnerable selves to us. That is how I have come to look at fiction writers – daring individuals who are ready to use their words to bare their souls to the world, and we here at SHOUT mean to respect that.

Fictitious, SHOUT's annual fiction-only issue, is a nod to young fiction writers. The stories young people want to tell the world often reflect society's ignored but looming issues. This week's SHOUT, with stories and poems exploring feelings of fear, of being stuck, of introspection of the person and the collective, does a pretty good job of this. With imagery ranging from the abstract to the extravagant, we intend to deliver a journey across a range of emotions contained within the humble bounds of eight pages. We hope we have succeeded.