From: Us

Dear Readers, 

We weren’t supposed to have a zine this semester, let alone the wonderful staff we have here and the amount of growth we’ve undergone. 

Tragedy hit in late August, and we lost our editor-in-chief-to-be, Erin Edwards. Her loss shook the ground we walked on, with her memory forever echoing in and around us, and that’s how we ended up here with our fourth issue, echo. 

Historically a zine comprised of contributor submissions, this is the first Charcoal issue solely crafted with in-house submissions. It’s different, but given what we were walking into, we needed only our hands on deck to prove that we’ve got this, that Charcoal is here and only moving in a positive direction. 

We’ll be honest: it was hard. Filling in the shoes of the creative genius that preceded us from our founders was an enormous task, but we met the battle with grace and ended up here, with our first in-house, online issue. 

Charcoal is about telling stories while breaking some rules. We listened to the voices echoing in our minds and the stories echoing throughout our lives to bring you this. We’re proud of our work and ready for the next challenge. It’s never been easy, but you all make it worth it. 

Thank you for your continued support. Thank you for pushing us. Thank you for believing in us. Charcoal is bigger than a curation of creative works or art publication; it’s a family, a community of people soaring to uncharted territory daily, together. We’re excited for what’s next and hope that you all will stay with us for the journey ahead. 

Peace and well wishes, 

Charcoal Executive Board