illustration by Lea C. Deschenes

The temptation to make this first letter from the editor breezy and whimsical is almost overwhelming. No one wants to be thought of as overwhelmingly serious, after all. Angst is so 20th Century. But as I type, it's one of those alarming news days, with water hammering down on Southern cities, the streets of places like New Orleans and Biloxi wearing under unprecedented torrent. Thousands displaced, hundreds dead—the sort of human tragedy that boils under your skin a bit, our sheer powerlessness in the face of nature catching in your throat. (more)