a letter to our readers from the authors of Issue 7
By the Réapparition Journal Editorial Team
In light of Issue 7’s upcoming release, we asked our authors about what they would like to convey to our readers– How does writing out their narrative help them personally? How would they like it to help others? What would they like others to take away from your experience? After intense deliberation in selecting these thoughtful pieces from a vast sea of submissions, we are excited to showcase the works in Issue 7; here, we present some of the sentiments behind a select few pieces from the issue.
Marcelo Medone
I have always believed that a writer puts his thoughts and experiences into his work, more or less in an evident way, even if what he writes seems to be a fantasy or something totally far from reality. After having been published more than four hundred times in more than fifty countries, I have discovered that what gives me the most satisfaction and at the same time continues to be of interest to a large part of the reading public, is to speak from a first person in a direct way, from my personal experience or from my expectations and my personal fears. So I increasingly include biographical elements in my narratives, in my role as a medical doctor, father, son and writer from a corner of the southern hemisphere called Argentina or more recently, Uruguay. I have rediscovered a truth in the phrase: "Paint your village and you will paint the world", as Tolstoy explained. This is the case of my little story of an unconditional and eternal love of an elderly man for his wife suffering from Alzheimer's, who is careful to try to respect her pathological happiness.
Eli Daniel Ehrenpreis MD
I am very excited to have my story “Retracing our Steps” published in Réapparition! This is a personal story. Hopefully, the work sends a positive message to readers. As a physician and educator with disabilities, I am honored to create a narrative about overcoming challenges in life. Sharing my experiences is my attempt at helping people to motivate themselves and experience the beauty of love, relationships, the natural world, and recovery of one’s health. I would like to tell my readers to focus on staying healthy, aging gracefully, and appreciating life.
Elizabeth Templeman
Writing has always given me pleasure. This was a tough essay to write both because of the subject, and the challenges with organizing it, and took me years to feel comfortable sharing it. And yet getting it to that point felt so satisfying. While some essays seem to flow so easily, others take far more time and work. And yet, I love the genre and it brings me both a sense of community and great joy.
I so hope that this essay, focusing on depression, might help someone to feel less alone. Depression can be so isolating, and yet so many of us struggle and cope with it. We often don't share, I think, so as not to bring others down. I also hope that the piece might find its way to some younger reader who struggles with mood swings. Things I've learned through the years may just offer some helpful insight to someone younger.
None of us are alone. So many of us struggle to keep aloft. And yet, while there's sadness, there is also so much beauty and joy to be found in life.
I would love this chance to say thank you for reading my essay. By reading one another's work, we gain perspective and strengthen that sense of community. For we introverts, writing and reading can be easier than socializing often, and can bring us as much satisfaction and wisdom.
Christa Fairbrother
Living with invisible illnesses is isolating. You're struggling, and no one else can see it. I write poems about health topics to help me feel a little less alone. I hope people with health challenges read them and feel their reality reflected back at them so they can feel seen. While we may never meet, I see you.
Jane McNulty
On bad days, anxiety makes me feel like I am having sometimes 1,000 thoughts per minute. Writing helps me release some of this anxious energy because I can only put down one word at a time, tethering me to the present moment.
One of my core beliefs is that we can't feel one way forever. Bad times really do not last. My novel excerpt "Nightswimming" shows the narrator of my novel, Blue Park Lane, at a turning point in his mental health recovery journey, learning that things do not stay miserable while working to mend relationships, earn back trust, and control his thoughts. I sincerely hope that his voice will reach someone who is at this point, so they feel less alone in the healing process.
Victoria Molta
Writing my narrative gives me a chance to look within myself and make sense or meaning of experiences that I have questions about in my life. It gives me a chance to release the struggles and challenges on paper and computer.
I would like my narrative to give the reader a chance to connect to my words and feel less alone, more hopeful; human to human. I want my work to inspire, offer connections and hope. We all need each other.
I would generally like to say to the reader that life for everyone and particularly those with chronic mental health challenges can be difficult. But change is not only possible, but probable. Never give up. There is beauty in the world too.
Lela Hannah
Writing about my experiences with depression and anxiety has been very therapeutic. “In Space, I Learn How to Fly” was a turning point for me as a poet because it was the first time I allowed myself to write about my mental health. I was taking risks with my work instead of hiding behind metaphors and characters who didn’t share my experiences. Acknowledging my mental illnesses through writing was one of many steps that helped me recover.
I want my experiences to help others realize that it gets better. I often felt like there was no end in sight, but with therapy, medication, and writing, I became a happier, healthier version of myself. I would like to say thank you to my readers for giving me a platform to share my feelings, and for reading with an open heart and mind, for taking the time to see life through my eyes.
Stay tuned for Issue 7, coming out on November 17th!
Best,
The Réapparition Team and Issue 7 Authors