honey & lime

To the incredible readers of honey & lime:

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          To say I’m completely blown away would be the understatement of the century. I started this tiny magazine at the end of November last year, and never could have expected the enthusiasm I was met with. I wasn’t sure what exactly to expect in the first place. It seemed to me that new lit mags cropped up left and right, often by people I considered far more talented or experienced than I. But I’ve had this vision for a while, and a passionate drive behind it, and I thought, what the hell? I’m going to do this and give it everything I’ve got. I couldn’t be happier with the support I’ve gotten from this incredible community that has continued to push me to make this space the best it can be.

          The first thing I learned about running my own literary magazine is it is hard and takes so much work. I had an idea of this going in, but it’s much different envisioning it than actually diving in and experiencing it. It meant sometimes staying up until sunrise, and answering submissions emails in my dreams. It meant making seemingly definitive decisions and then backtracking, restructuring, rethinking. This first submissions period, I received nearly 400 submissions— and I can’t express what an absolute privilege it was to read such breathtaking pieces and view such gorgeous art and photography. I’ve had to make a lot of heartbreaking decisions and turn away some undeniably talented submitters. I ended up accepting more work than I originally had planned- with a total of 42 contributors, this first issue is quite hefty.  

          But each piece to me was a necessity— every voice completed an intricate puzzle. These contributors took everything I envisioned honey & lime to be to the next level. They took the quickest way to the heart and didn’t shy away with backroads. Every image was masterfully crafted, each word packed gunpowder in its punch. Stories from a variety of backgrounds, emotions ranging from utter contentment to grim acceptance to soul-gripping grief. The sweet, the sour, and every drop of blood in between.

          I am so overjoyed and proud to present to you honey & lime’s inaugural issue: Welcome the Haunting. The title of this issue comes from Scott-Patrick Mitchell’s heartbreaking “an incantation to lift grief.” I believe the phrase captured the sentiment behind this issue perfectly. So yes, let us welcome the haunting. Let us meet it at our front doors with arms open wide. Let us make it breakfast in the morning.

          Thank you endlessly for reading and supporting. I hope you find a home in this issue as much as I did.

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Warmly,

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Wanda Deglane

Editor-in-Chief

honey & lime literary magazine