Hi, MockingHeart friends,

Happy Monday! Hoping all is well for you.

Winter seems like it’s just around the corner! With the coming of this colder season, it’s time to wrap up in coziness, perhaps to decorate our homes, and to celebrate community. Something oft overlooked in winter, though, is the need for peace and alone time–in the face of so much festivity, it can be hard to take a moment for oneself.

To mark this necessity, and to give structure to MHR‘s upcoming Winter issue (submissions for which open on December 1st), our Winter 2020 theme is Solitude. One can think of solitude in a number of ways–whether we celebrate ourselves, take time for personal healing, or acknowledge the power of a single, unstoppable thought, solitude provides the backbone of these actions and more.

If you feel your visual or literary work fits this theme, please send it our way in December! If you feel it only fits on a Tuesday night if you squint properly, that’s good too. And even if you’re not quite sure, let us take a look anyway. One beauty of language is that it’s elastic and ever-shifting, and that principle applies to themes and creative work alike.

From all of us at MHR, thank you for the excellent work you do in the world. We look forward to your poetry and art, as always!

Tyler Robert Sheldon, Editor-in-Chief