Editor’s Note | Issue 3

As we navigate an era that will one day undoubtedly be immortalized between the hard covers and glossy pages of history books, it's easy to lose track of the tiresome details of daily life that will inevitably end up hidden within the fine print. 

Due to its mundane nature, the fine print is often overlooked. Perhaps because its slightly diluted color scheme causes strain for the eyes, or because its diminutive and boxy figure makes losing your place especially simple. Nevertheless, scanning the fine print is almost always more valuable than searching for an overarching message, as it holds more detail and truth than any general composition of salient points ever could. 

At Réapparition Journal, we take the fine print and put it in bold. Understanding the scientific nature of chronic illness is simple enough, however; its emotional complexities and impact on the individual are a different class entirely. Chronic illness puts extreme amounts of strain on mental health, however, mental stability will always take the back seat to physical wellbeing when it comes to “checkups”. 

You can do all the research on their illness you want, but in the end, you can only truly know them by listening to their story, which is unique and unlike any other. The fine print is not summarized or glossed over to relate to a larger audience. 

While composing Issue three I was exposed to numerous stories from the fine print of life, filled with beauty, passion, and of course, pain. Carol Casey’s work entitled Chronic Pain, explores the complex combination of emotion and spirituality which can accompany this struggle, while Patricia Gott’s absolutely moving Owls in December (Two Years After) takes a closer look at feelings such as longing which accompany Cancer, even years after. 

I look forward to sharing the works of Issue 3 with our readers, as I feel each and every one of them comes straight from the heart. 

Welcome to Issue 3. 

Alison Swanitz, Editor