Molly McCully Brown, “Taxonomies of Grief” | Editorial Statement (Page 3)

• McCully Brown identifies some of grief’s “component parts,” like sorrow, responsibility, doubt, rage, and desire. Where do you see these facets of grief reflected in work throughout the issue? Do you see other elements of grief reflected in the editorial, or the larger issue?
• McCully Brown writes that her grief for her sister is “part of how [she] loves the world.” How do you understand this assertion? Is there grief in your own life that has shaped or changed the way you feel about the world?
• This essay articulates two central questions grief can spur us to ask: How could God have done this? and How could we have done this? Can you think of a moment when you’ve asked one or both of these? What, if anything, has helped you move toward either an answer or peace with uncertainty?

Martha Silano, “To-Do List” | Poetry (6)

• This poem’s speaker says, “To decide rain makes it worse, / but sun’s bad too, but both are good.” What other paradoxes do you see in the poem, and how do these paradoxes shape your understanding of the speaker’s experience?
• What insights do you gain from the speaker’s perspective on her own death? How does the use of paradox form your insights?

Indira Urrutia Zúñiga, “Knitting with Tears” | Visual Arts (Page 34)

• Repetition is a meditative ritual for Urrutia Zúñiga; it’s also a crucial formal element. Where do you see repetition and ritual in her work? What effect do they have?
• For Urrutia Zúñiga, hostility to immigrants is both a point of pain and fuel for connection “to truth, to memory, to community.” Does pain ever push you to connect? How do you connect with truth, memory, and community?
• The artist says she aims “to create space where [suffering] can be acknowledged, honored” rather than simply represented. Why is this important? What does it mean to honor suffering? In what spaces have you done so?

Andrew Porter, “Home” | Fiction (Page 9)

• Several times in this story, the father says, “I won’t say anything more about it.” What’s the significance of this repeated line, and how does it shape our understanding of his character?
• Watching a loved one’s health decline can lead a person to greater grace and compassion. Do you think this painful process naturally brings out the best in us, or does it depend on the person and circumstances?