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Word from the Editor

June 12, 2022/ Barbara Platts

In the first week of March this year, Amelia Anisovych, a seven-year-old Ukrainian girl, was in a bomb shelter in Kyiv with her family, as well as numerous other kids and adults. The Russian invasion of her country had begun just over a week before. From the shelter, they could hear bombs going off overhead. In that moment, when everyone was scared of what was to come, Anisovych started to sing “Let It Go,” from the Disney movie Frozen. The bomb shelter fell silent and its occupants listened, smiles appearing on their faces as they witnessed a bright spot in a world that was feeling increasingly dark. 

Videos of Anisovych singing went viral days later, capturing the world’s attention. The courage of a seven-year-old girl to be vulnerable and brave helped remind us all that, even in the scariest of times, baring our souls and sharing a piece of ourselves can help others feel less alone, less fearful. 

I’ve thought of Anisovych often as we’ve put the final touches on Lunch Ticket’s 21st Issue. Her performance in that bunker reminds me of why I write and why I believe so strongly in Lunch Ticket’s mission. Because something remarkable happens when we allow ourselves to open up, be vulnerable, and share our art. We’re able to shift policies, change opinions, and even save lives. We can expose people to something different or put a smile on their face for a moment. 

The artists we highlight in this issue of Lunch Ticket have shared beautiful, poignant work, each piece entirely different from the next. In “Echolocation,” by Miranda Williams, we learn about a damaged, distant relationship between a mother and a daughter through the beauty of humpback whales and their offspring. In “The Quilted Multiverse,” we take a moment to smile as poet Stephanie Staab takes us through the many dimensions one circumstance can become. In “Ghost Birds,” we travel along the island of Maui with writer Karin Hedetniemi, learning about native birds and a tender relationship between an adventurous husband and wife couple. In “The Beautified Among the Insane,” Raquel Abend van Dalen and Dillon Scalzo work together to carefully translate Raquel Abend van Dalen’s symphonic poems from Spanish to English. These are just a small sampling of the amazing pieces in this issue.

The variety speaks not only to the eclectic world we inhabit but to the power of the human spirit in trying times. We live in an uncertain world. In the U.S., we’re seeing mass shootings daily. Across the world, we are still very much in a pandemic. War continues to wage in Ukraine. Iran and North Korea are working diligently to make nuclear weapons. These are just a few of the pressing concerns we’re dealing with. Still, we have artists who are willing to be vulnerable with one another, to share stories and art, to help us try and make sense of our world.

Without publications like Lunch Ticket, our world would be a much bleaker place. And publications like this one couldn’t exist without the work of our submitters, who consistently put beautiful, thought-provoking pieces in front of us. Thank you to all who submitted for this issue. You make our jobs of putting out this publication all the more fruitful. And a big thank you to the Lunch Ticket 21 staff who spent long hours reading submissions, writing our weekly content, proofing and editing pieces, building pages on our website, and sharing all of the work on social media and beyond for others to see. Your vision to see important writing and art put out into the world inspires me daily.

In “Connecting the Dots of Silence: An Interview with Roberto Lovato,” the writer speaks about the inspiration he got from Italian writer Italo Calvino.

“He thought his role as a writer was to lighten the load. The gravity is not going to go away … We’ve got gravity for the foreseeable future,” Lovato says. “The job of the writer is to bring some levity. Not just humor, but to lighten up the story in magical ways that make it easier to look at the abyss, to look at the difficult things the world has to offer.”

I hope this issue of Lunch Ticket helps bring you joy the way Anisovych’s performance did. That it “lightens the load” a bit for you. I hope, as you read through these pieces, you are reminded that, despite the challenges we face, we’re not alone. We will continue to try and make sense of this world together.

Barbara Platts is the editor-in-chief of Sweet Jane Magazine, an award-winning columnist, marketing specialist, and the editor-in-chief of Lunch Ticket. She’s worked in many forms of journalism, from public radio to newspaper, and is thrilled to be pursuing her MFA for nonfiction writing at Antioch University. She lives in Boulder, Colorado with her fiancé and two adorable pups. Follow her on Twitter @BarbaraPlatts and Instagram @BarbaraPlatts.

Issue Archive

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Genre Archive

  • Creative Nonfiction
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Friday Lunch Blog

Friday Lunch! A serving of contemporary essays published the second Friday of every month.

Today’s course:

How to Kill a Cat, or How to Prepare for CATastrophe

March 10, 2023/in Blog / Meghan McGuire
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https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/51458407-FB7D-4C1F-AD98-9E3181F097C9.jpg 2288 2288 Meghan McGuire https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/lunch-ticket-logo-white-text-only.png Meghan McGuire2023-03-10 11:55:512023-03-08 12:08:20How to Kill a Cat, or How to Prepare for CATastrophe

The Night I Want to Remember

December 16, 2022/in 2023ws-migration, Blog / Sanaz Tamjidi
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https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/paul-volkmer-qVotvbsuM_c-unsplash-scaled-1.jpg 1704 2560 Sanaz Tamjidi https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/lunch-ticket-logo-white-text-only.png Sanaz Tamjidi2022-12-16 16:12:142022-12-16 16:12:14The Night I Want to Remember

From Paper to the Page

November 18, 2022/in 2023ws-migration, Blog / Annie Bartos
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Midnight Snack

Take a bite out of these late night obsessions.

Tonight’s bites:

Point Break & Top Gun Are More Than Homoerotic Action Movies

March 3, 2023/in Midnight Snack / Michaela Emerson
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https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/ECD45731-BD0A-4144-9DDE-DBE45519C4A6.jpeg 2461 1882 Michaela Emerson https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/lunch-ticket-logo-white-text-only.png Michaela Emerson2023-03-03 23:45:542023-03-04 00:06:21Point Break & Top Gun Are More Than Homoerotic Action Movies

Mending the Heart and Slowing Down: Reintroducing Myself to Mexican Cooking

October 7, 2022/in Midnight Snack / Megan Vasquez
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https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/jason-briscoe-VBsG1VOgLIU-unsplash-scaled.jpg 1707 2560 Megan Vasquez https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/lunch-ticket-logo-white-text-only.png Megan Vasquez2022-10-07 23:55:352022-10-07 19:31:09Mending the Heart and Slowing Down: Reintroducing Myself to Mexican Cooking

The Worth of a Billionaire’s Words

September 23, 2022/in Midnight Snack / Kirby Chen Mages
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https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/image2-scaled.jpeg 2560 1920 Kirby Chen Mages https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/lunch-ticket-logo-white-text-only.png Kirby Chen Mages2022-09-23 23:56:162022-09-23 21:56:42The Worth of a Billionaire’s Words

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Amuse-Bouche

Little bites every third Friday to whet your appetite!

Today’s plate:

On Such a Full Sea Are We Now

March 17, 2023/in Amuse-Bouche / Jemma Leigh Roe
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https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/JLR.jpeg 1204 1042 Jemma Leigh Roe https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/lunch-ticket-logo-white-text-only.png Jemma Leigh Roe2023-03-17 11:55:192023-03-20 12:27:25On Such a Full Sea Are We Now

The Russian Train

February 24, 2023/in Amuse-Bouche / Cammy Thomas
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https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/06BA84B9-9FF6-4D6C-97E3-9F02075E851D.jpeg 2042 1609 Cammy Thomas https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/lunch-ticket-logo-white-text-only.png Cammy Thomas2023-02-24 14:30:592023-02-24 11:40:48The Russian Train

Still Life

October 31, 2022/in Amuse-Bouche / Daniel J. Rortvedt
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https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/827C31B5-92AE-4C32-9137-3B4AED885093-scaled.jpeg 2560 1920 Daniel J. Rortvedt https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/lunch-ticket-logo-white-text-only.png Daniel J. Rortvedt2022-10-31 11:59:312022-10-30 21:59:49Still Life

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School Lunch

An occasional Wednesday series dishing up today’s best youth writers.

Today’s slice:

I’ve Stayed in the Front Yard

May 12, 2021/in School Lunch, School Lunch 2021 / Brendan Nurczyk
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https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/SL-Insta-Brendan-Nurczyk-2.png 1500 1500 Brendan Nurczyk https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/lunch-ticket-logo-white-text-only.png Brendan Nurczyk2021-05-12 10:18:392022-02-01 13:24:05I’ve Stayed in the Front Yard

A Communal Announcement

April 28, 2021/in School Lunch, School Lunch 2021 / Isabella Dail
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https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/SL-FB-Isabella-Dail.png 788 940 Isabella Dail https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/lunch-ticket-logo-white-text-only.png Isabella Dail2021-04-28 11:34:132021-04-28 11:34:13A Communal Announcement

Seventeen

April 14, 2021/in School Lunch, School Lunch 2021 / Abigail E. Calimaran
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https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/SL-Insta-Abigail-E.-Calimaran.png 1080 1080 Abigail E. Calimaran https://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/lunch-ticket-logo-white-text-only.png Abigail E. Calimaran2021-04-14 11:22:062021-04-14 11:22:06Seventeen

More School Lunch »

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