This issue of Frozen Wavelets has been, like the one that came out just before the summer, strongly affected by Covid-19. Schedules disrupted, changes of plan, delays, everything that could happen did. So, as for we did with Issue #3, we decided to focus on our minimum objective: publish the Summer issue no matter what and try to survive the storm. We’re still here, and that’s all that matters.
Issue #4 is unapologetically dark, yet here and there you will find glimmers of much-needed hope. Humour, too, grim or otherwise (the fiction piece we’ve chosen to close the issue — Ten Books to Read After You’re Dead by Aidan Doyle — is a perfect example).
The poem in translation with its German original is by Laura Theis, a new author for FW, but one you’re going to see again in these pages. Laura’s poetry is simply fabulous, and she’s going to have her first chapbook out soon.
Our last submission period closed in August, and now we’re dealing with the shortlisted pieces. This time we had the highest number of submissions since we started, and choosing the ones for the final round has not been easy. However, we felt that more could be done to ensure unrepresented writers get the space they deserve, and we are going to address this point in the next submission period.
Enjoy the last hours of this strange Summer 2020. I hope Frozen Wavelets #4 will keep you good company.
Steph P. Bianchini, Editor
Acknowledgement: I’d like to acknowledge here the work of our second readers (essential for voting on the shortlisted pieces) and the graphic design consultant, Barbara Vacca. Also, a special thanks to one of the contributors to issue # 4, KT Wagner, for her donation to the magazine. Cover art by H. Eskandr.