The Turning Leaf Journal

The Turning Leaf is inspired by all things change. Our open call for submissions was met with 130 examples and definitions of the term. Together, Lauren and I have curated for you a selection of nonfiction, poetry, hybrid work, and art that explore change through loss/grief, generational trauma, leaving high-demand religions, addiction, gender identity, aging, parenthood, and more. We hope the work you read here will inspire you and perhaps help you feel a little less alone. 

Putting together this inaugural issue has been, please forgive the cliche, a rollercoaster of emotion. We have felt immense joy and euphoria from the excitement of people being interested in our new, unproven journal. We’ve cried through your beautifully vulnerable depictions of grief, death, and burden, and laughed at the often dark humor through which you survived it all. There has also been much anxiety and fear that our work won’t be enough, that this thing we’re working so hard to create, will fail. It’s difficult to start something new from scratch, regardless of how prepared we think we are! There have been many restless nights–both from the fear and from the excitement. 

We’ve learned a lot from our first submissions round and plan to make a few changes moving forward (we’ll inform you about all of these in the coming weeks!). For now, we just want to thank our audience, and especially our contributors, for your patience while we’ve been figuring this all out. Truly, none of this could be possible without you.

Okay, it’s done! Find your cat and grab some tissues, a snack, and your liquor of choice. Snuggle up in your favorite reading chair under the soft glow of lamplight. Take it in slowly. Some of us in this issue are still hurting—remember to be kind. 

We always welcome your feedback. Please send your notes to theturningleafjournal@gmail.com and we’ll address them however best fits the situation. 

Thank you for being here,
Megan Eralie-Henriques
Founder, Editor-in-Chief