EDITOR'S NOTE

Dear Reader,

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In our fifth issue, we bring together the work of 16 writers, artists, and thinkers, all who explore the effects mirages and illusions have—and the truths they bare—from varying perspectives. As always, I would like to thank our executive editor, Ethan, as well as our genre editors, submitters, and readers who make Sophon Lit possible. Additionally, please help us extend a warm welcome to our newest Poetry Editor, Julia Liu! 

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"Many things can look like home, from a careful enough angle," Reve Rubio writes in their striking poem "An Infinite Path Towards the Sun." Indeed, in Travis Flatt's uncanny story "Too Many Stars," a family is disrupted from an otherwise mundane day by the realization that their current home is off, by eerily subtle observations like too many stars in the sky. In the blur of mirages, we have the luxury to see what we want to see: believe what we want to believe, before reality dispels our dreams. Richard Schreck's protagonist intentionally refuses to scratch off lottery tickets to stay in this haven of uncertainty.

Despite their conventionally deceptive nature, mirages can also serve as a gradual road towards, or framing of, truth. Narratives peel back illusory metaphor to unveil honest feelings, in all its forms, such as Paul Hostovsky's piercing revelation "I've been jumping to death all my life" at the end of "Visine." Lenneke Wolf's pensive "Variation on a Theme" explores how even in the unspoken fears, uncertainties, and mirages in love, "there is truth, somewhere." There is trust, as much as there is illusion, throughout these narratives introspective and heartfelt, surreal and everyday. And just as every reader interprets art differently, a mirage looks different from every angle—yet every interpretation is equally valid and meaningful.

We hope you enjoy!

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Warmly, 

Ava Chen

Editor-in-Chief