There’s a Wilco song that’s first line is “maybe the sun will shine today, the clouds will blow away.” That’s a little bit like what this summer has felt like so far. There’s been wildfires in eastern Canada casting a haze over the entire region, catastrophic flooding in Vermont and New York, and what seems like a constant stream of thunderstorms. The sun has shined in between, but it feels like we’re all still waiting for a break in the clouds and for the relaxing, care-free part of summer to begin. Maybe it will never come, but hopefully taking a break and spending some time with our latest issue will help.

We start out with a wonderful photograph from Lisa Wright that brings to mind late night walks through the city after a long night of work or of spending time with friends at the bar. Next we hear fiction from Maggie Nerz Iribarne who brings us to Western New York and introduces us to some local characters at a restaurant called Guller’s, including the narrator’s own parents. Morgan Lopez offers a sobering look at the opioid epidemic that plagues much of the Northeast, sharing an intimate account of her own experience with it. Aliza Haskal reviews poet Jon Woodward’s 2006 book Rain (Wave Books), a collection of poems that focus on handling grief and loss. We travel to Provincetown with Russ López for a fun fictional story about collective memory and how communities celebrate historic events. Elizabeth Bednarczyk gives us a review of the Air BnB that she stayed at with her husband for their honeymoon in rural Maine. It’s a story of making the best of it and finding joy in the simple things. We see the photography of Boston based street photography Marc Occil and his photo “Earth Day Matters,” taken during the 2023 Boston Earth Day Protest outside of the Massachusetts State House. Finally, Don Noel takes us back to the youth baseball field and shows us how one coach tries to stay involved with his team after the unthinkable happens.

At the back of the magazine, you’ll find a directory to candlepin bowling alleys located across New York, New England, and the Maritimes. It’s our attempt to highlight some of the Northeast’s shared culture and give you an idea for a fun Friday night.

I know that art can’t solve everything, and that once you put the magazine down, it will be back to worrying about the world and all of its problems again, but my hope is that we can offer you a reprieve, and that while you’re with us, the clouds will blow away, and you’ll find yourself in a sunny day.