[easy-media med=”8578″ mark=”gallery-5MHjew”]Dear Readers,

Transformation is the foundation of fiction. Stories are born in the transformation of words–marks on a page into pictures, places, people, ideas. And then, on another level, the transformation of character within story. A story is a series of events happening to, around, or because of a character, and unless these events change or impact the character, they remain meaningless. A story with meaning, with substance, must also exhibit transformation.

The best fiction immerses readers in the intricate plays of cause an effect, where everything a character sees, hears, touches, and perceives leaves its mark, and in marking, changes. We watch the shaping of a person as we read fiction, witness identities forged, and in watching are transformed ourselves.

This issue, we present “A Drowning Moth,” in which Lily follows her sister in an effort to find herself, and “Zero Fever,” the story of a daughter (maybe) transformed into a parrot. These pieces are examples of transformation well-wrought, with subtlety, honesty, and surprise. Please read on, enjoy them, submerse yourself, and allow these stories to transform you.

Best,
Hayley Battaglia
Masons Road Fiction Editor