issue 53

I was walking by a neighbor’s house yesterday, and halted in wonder at his front yard. Where others might have planted grass, he had produced a riot of spring flowers—all colors, varieties, and sizes. There was even the occasional spunky, funky wildflower, elbowing its buddies for a place in the sun.

It reminded me of VR 53, our brand-new Spring issue.

We present here a garden of stories—ten of them, a riot of colors, varieties, and sizes (within our 500-word limit, of course). Like my neighbor's yard, this issue will make the reader stop in wonder. Here, tall tales in vivid pink, red and purple consort with quiet blue beauties; a dark sage-flower broods next to a brilliant black-eyed Susan. And there, in the corner: a spunky, funky orange wildflower—you can almost see it grinning.

I leave it to you, gentle reader, to determine which is which. There are no wrong answers in our garden; there is only a thoughtful sort of delight.

And a bonus: you can enjoy all this without sneezing.

—Susan O'Neill