Dear Little Leaf,

A recent submission cover letter addressed the masthead like this, “Dear Little Leaf.” While I’m 99% certain the submission was from an A.I. bot, I found the salutation to be endearing and have chosen to address you in this way too. 

The Autumn 2025 edition of “The Turning Leaflets” craft project is themed around the idea of writing rituals. What are they? Do we have them? Should we? And if we want one, where do we begin?

Growing up, I was engrossed in the rituals of religion–my days frameworked by patterns and ceremony. Until I left religion, I didn’t understand how this structure bound me into an identity (more so that this identity was one I hadn’t chosen). During the process of leaving, I was studying creative writing for the first time and hearing about writing rituals. I was told how necessary they are, how I couldn’t be a writer unless I had a writing ritual, and something about being directed toward ritual through absolutes made me resistant to trying. I had just escaped a harmful ritualistic-lifestyle and wasn’t eager to begin a new one. 

Many years later, ritual is on my mind again and this time, I am open. Eager, even, to bring meaningful patterns back into my life. At the center of this Leaflet is a collaborative essay based on informal conversation, research, and prompt responses from TTLJ staff, tied together by my own search for ritual. This essay follows the voices of many, filling the place where a Q&A style interview usually belongs. 

Two craft essays offer perspectives on the ingredients for writing. A review of Poetry as Spellcasting: Poems, Essays, and Prompts for Manifesting Liberation and Reclaiming Power, edited by Tamiko Beyer, Destiny Hemphill, and Lisbeth White, offers writers a window of magical connection to oneself–be it ritual, or something else. 

The crux of this Leaflet is a conclusion that ritual is for you, and you alone, to determine. Most essentially, that writing rituals are tools, not requirements, to add to the writing toolbelt if you choose to. We’ve curated examples of the rituals from the lives of writers past and present to be used as the start of a conversation, rather than a conclusion. And we’d love to be part of that conversation with you. Tell us about your rituals–we want to hear it all!

So, Little Leaf, whether you, like me, are seeking ritual for the first time, or you’ve already created rituals you’re devoted to, this is for you.

Gratitude Always,
Megan Eralie-Henriques

P.S. If a letter begins “Dear Little Leaf,” does it warrant the signature be from “Big Leaf?” Let me know your thoughts on this.

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