On Tending contains various exceptional multi-media works by queer POC creatives: hybrid epistolary, painting, digital exhibit, poetry, photo essay, collage, accordion story, audio poetry, watercolor, lyric essay, and oracle decks. This call explicitly solicited queer BIPOC creatives to highlight underrepresented voices and perspectives. Within this issue, you’ll uncover themes of nonlinear healing, intergenerational trauma, grief, and self-compassion.
When I curated this anthology, I was fixated on the idea of “change”: What it means, what it holds, and what it can be. Change can feel scary, but we don’t actually know what’s on the other side of it. Sometimes, change is about digging deeper into what we already know in our core and about standing firmly in our buried truths, no longer hiding in other people’s expectations of who they think we should be. The biggest freedom is in feeling seen. But can you see yourself? Can you hold yourself accountable? And how do you choose not to abandon yourself in relation to others? One way to honor our decay is by trusting ourselves: holding our boundaries without managing someone else’s reactions, listening to our voice even when it’s just a whisper, and embodying a knowingness that cannot be diminished.
These seven pieces have created an intimate space for quiet contemplation. A generous pause. A needed breath. Witnessing their vulnerable tending has expanded my definition and allowed me to do deeper tending. I hope you feel as held as I have while curating this anthology and that this chorus of voices gives you room to dream about what self-tending/shared tending could look like for you.
