Dear Authors, Artists and Readers

It is utterly surreal to acknowledge even that I haven’t met most of you in person, or even talked with you over a telephone, and yet feel a strange kinship, one that is of sharing a space that hosts words and images for all of us. I started this space with one of the most illogical ideas of the human mind – hope, the hope that words and images will bring people close, will help us know of our different worlds more intimately, to explore emotions and feelings through each others’ creative pieces. As I complete working with the eighth issue of DoubleSpeak, I believe that hope has rewarded me richly. I have read poems from a distant land, scene images from a country or city which I have never visited, taken a tour into self through abstraction of your artistic pieces and poetic verses. Through translations I could grasp the innate expressive nature of different languages. I haven’t earned a single dime through this and neither did you, but the rich gifts of your minds remain immeasurable in currency. I can only express my deepest gratitude for fuelling this initiative of mine with your kind support. More than anything else it is a celebration of our collective humanity, if at all we are to leave behind some for the next generations, in this fast-changing world of ours.

It is noted that not all sections get equally populated with pieces in every issue. Especially the collaborative section and the letters are the ones where it gets a bit difficult to publish something worthwhile. The letters section was intended for readers (including the authors and artists) to critique the published works. It should be done to suggest improvements to young writers and artists, or even to express how your views differ or align with the creators’ views on any topic and art-form. That sort of dialogue must never cease to exist as that carries the mark of a civilised society. I am reaching to you all to write more in the letters section on any piece or pieces that you think could use your opinion.

The collaborative section was created with a view to bring different minds together. There are many around you all, who are perhaps desperate to express their ideas, feelings and even abstractions, but lack the artistic skills. Please help them to find a voice, through us, so that we can bring their voices to a larger audience. If you can find any such opportunity, please do let us know because DoubleSpeak can take the initiative to make that a possibility.

There is an apology, as well, that is due from my side. I have to still upload the previous issues as PDF documents. In reality, I have taken that work ahead to a somewhat doable position, but couldn’t really manage time to do it completely. I have decided to finish all the previous uploads by March 2023. And from there onward, I will try and make sure that the archival facility is available on the Website, so that nothing will be offline ever. There are small technical aspects that I am still figuring out, but it should be done by March 2023. I am grateful for your patience and trust in me.

I hope our journey continues for many more years and we all get to a stronger, more peaceful space in our own minds, together and individually, with each others’ words and images. I remain ever so grateful to you all.

Arpan

Founder and Managing Editor, DoubleSpeak Magazine