Editor’s Letter Issue 9

Here be it: the passing of two years and eight full quarters. This little magazine, little in the tradition of little magazines and little in of itself, suddenly feels very big. It has weathered storms and seasons and come through and beyond, and here we proudly raise it a standard upon our outcrop to beam out over the waters.

There are rocks beneath the tide but if you keep an eye keen you will scout them.

We seasiders are best within sight of the split between land and water. The further we go in either direction, the less sure we are of our footing. The air needs soil and salt to mix right. We wade out or walk in yet the boundary anchors us. We are of the twinning elements and so reside in spirit here on the littoral.

For two years now Seaside Gothic has brought the best it can gather to you and we have no plans to stop. Long may the harvest carry on, through fat years and lean years, long catches and short hauls. Our trips may be limited and our nets dropped by hand but the treasures we collect are wondrous and beautiful.

It is in this thinking we have hidden a treasure. As the old seadogs say: X marks the spot. The hunt has begun and it can be yours if you dare. We also celebrated our second birthday, which was the fathom we prepared to sink at from the start of our voyage if the reception was not kind, with a stake in the beach. The Totem was raised and it is a wonder.

Our journey has merely begun and we have many leagues left which we will trek, splashing through the shallows as we follow the coast. We are pleased you are with us.

Yo ho.