22Q4

Looking down upon the dangerous place where water meets rock. The image is in black and white, with a V cut through the center. Inside the V, the rocks to the right are vibrant; to the left, the water is a swirling mix of toxic aqua blue, green, and yellow.

Editor’s Note

Art, like the world, is dangerous. As artists and readers, we explore the vulnerable parts of ourselves with the fragile hope that we’ll be changed by what we encounter. 

The contributors in this issue have risked entering a world full of dangers: fire, war, abusive men, murderous marsupials, the onward march of time, the fierce pull of grief, and imminent loss of self. They’ve done so even on a planet battered by raging storms and rising tides, a world choking on extraction capitalism and threats of authoritarian regimes and morality police. 

It’s a brave thing. Some might say it isn’t worth the time, the emotional cost, but stories have the power to connect us, to lend us the strength of feeling seen and known. In doing so, they are dangerous in another way: they threaten those who wield unjust power, those who maintain control through isolation and division. 

So, dear readers, take a spin through this issue: explore the vast chasm of human experience and risk a random encounter that will leave you changed. 

What’s New at Vast Chasm

  • For this issue, we’re piloting audio recordings to accompany some of the pieces. Because read-alouds are an integral part of our acceptance process, it feels like a perfect fit. We hope to increase this effort in the future as a way to improve accessibility and allow our audience another method of interacting with the issue.
  • Got feedback about our first four issues? Editors@VastLiteraryPress.org
  • Want to support our work? Click here to donate

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Table of Contents

TitleGenreWriter
FireFlash CNFJasmine Griffin
UnbecomingFiction Sophia Savva
Not My FatherFlash CNFRay Lantrip
Death by OpossumFlash FictionMatt Goldberg
RagamuffinsFlash CNFMichele Finn Johnson
The Four of Us, GirlsFlash FictionJeanine Skowronski
How to Stop EvaporatingFlash FictionAnita Goveas
PreservationPoetryLy Faulk
Wild ManFictionMolly Seeling