Foreword from the Editors (Spring 2020)
April 27, 2020
Dear Friends of MORIA,
I’m Jay McPherson, current 3rd year writing major and Editor-in-Chief of MORIA, Woodbury University’s undergraduate-run online literary magazine for professional poets and writers. Today I’m pleased to announce the release of our fifth, and longest, issue, and I would like to thank all the poets and writers for their contributions! It’s been an incredible experience this past year working on MORIA, and, although I am sad to be leaving, I will never forget the impact she’s made on me.
At the beginning of production, we had no plans for a theme, but as pieces came in and our entire world changed because of the coronavirus, it became clear what our issue would be about. Themes of separation continually appeared throughout submissions, and as we continued to take in more poetry and fiction, we realized that in these dark times, we should not allow our issue to only add to the darkness. We began to reevaluate and reassess, until finally it struck us. In spite of the growing physical distances throughout the world, we are all still connected, and MORIA is doing her part to help us stay in touch with one another. While each piece is standalone and can be enjoyed without the need to read linearly, should you choose to read the pieces in order, you’ll find the narrative arcs to be as follows: separation, death, body, identity, anxiety, technology, ecology, relationships, family, time, and change.
MORIA has always been proud to publish underrepresented groups and add to the ever-growing diversity of the poetry world. This issue, our overall acceptance rate was 22%. Out of the 63 pieces featured in this issue, 56% were written by women and 7% were by nonbinary writers, with 12% of authors being LGBT, and 24% being authors of color! Issue Five also features a wide variety of age groups, ranging from writers in their 20s to those in their 60s. We at MORIA will continue to hone our selectivity and strive to publish those lacking proper representation.
Last, but most certainly not least, we want to welcome back returning authors, as well as those new to the MORIA family, and thank you all for the time and love you’ve put into these pieces. We would also like to thank Dr. Reuben Ellis, Interim Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, for his endless support, enthusiasm, and ideas; Dr. Matthew Bridgewater, Chair of the Writing Department, for his encouragement and sheer positivity; and Elizabeth Cooper and Rachel Farnsworth, our administrative assistants, for all of the behind-the-scenes work they do for CoLA. I personally would also like to thank Dr. Linda Dove, our faculty editor, for the hours of work she pours into making MORIA as incredible as it is! Without her, this issue would not have gotten published.
It’s been a crazy year for everybody, with the pandemic and subsequent lockdown quickly becoming one of the biggest challenges MORIA staff have ever faced. Despite the difficulty, everyone was able to pull through, many of us working overtime to make up for the distance between us. I am so proud to have been a part of this team! I hope that our efforts paid off, and on behalf of the whole MORIA staff, we sincerely hope you enjoy “Issue Five: Separation // Connection.”
Best wishes,
Jay McPherson, Editor-in-Chief
for the Editors of MORIA Literary Magazine