Editorial Statement by Nonfiction Editor Meghan Jones

Diversity is key to understanding, they say. For the creative nonfiction world, this means telling a story that is diverse in content. It also means telling a story that is perfectly ordinary, but diverse in the way it is told, and what is gained from it. When we write about our lives, or the lives of others, there is often nothing extraordinary about it. It happens every day, and that’s why we care: we understand. The submissions in the creative nonfiction genre this issue are events that happen to many people, and yet they’ve only happened once quite like this. They are a new way to tell an old story, a new way to look at the feelings we face in our daily lives. Grief, pain, confusion, and a longing of understanding— of ourselves, and of the world. Our winner of the “Best Essay” award for this issue “Gears and Beers” by Matthew Watson, tells a story of the brotherhood of men, and how trying to escape can help and hurt a friendship. There is always something more behind the every day act of playing video games with your buddy, or deciding to stay in on an evening, or go out. These are the stories we tell. What are the little things that change someone’s life? What makes us diverse in society? What helps us to understand how everything works? We all have a little bit to learn, but read on to let our creative nonfiction contributors tell you how they deal with the every day, mundane facts of life— and let them show you that this is exactly what makes them diverse.