A Letter from the Editor-in-Chief

Monsters,

It's been a while! You may have noticed we've been on the quieter side of late - there's a reason for that, but rest assured we're hard at work on our second issue. We may be MIA on social media for a while, but we're still here, and not going anywhere.

It's been a whirlwind of a year for everyone at Monstering. We've seen some incredible growth over the past few months, and we have you to thank for that. Your support means the world, and we are more dedicated than ever to you. But with that dedication comes change - change we've been preparing for over half a year. We're excited to see what the future holds, but we want to make sure you understand how these changes affect you and the work you trust us with.

I founded Monstering over two years ago, which is really just unbelievable, and a little bit of a fever dream. I never expected my contribution to the lit mag community to grow so big, to touch as many people as it has, and I am so grateful for everything Monstering has given me - the friendships, the experience and connections, the pride and joy and fulfillment. I set out to create a safe space for disabled women and nonbinary people and, as a result, made a home for myself. I treasure everything about Monstering, and I love you, the monsters who make Monstering possible, with all my heart.

When I started Monstering, I was a junior in college with far too much time on her hands. Now, two years later, I'm a full-time graduate student with too many dreams and not enough time to plant them all. Over the past several months, my ability to juggle the Monstering workload has diminished significantly. I love this magazine so much and believe in its mission - which is why I've decided to step down as editor-in-chief. I don't want my personal life to interfere with the important work we're doing; I don't want to keep Monstering from becoming everything it's meant to be.

This won't affect you too much. I'm stepping down as editor-in-chief and will no longer be overseeing Monstering's operational departments, but I'm staying on as the magazine's founder, so I won't be leaving anytime soon. Zara Munro, our Director of Social Media, is stepping up as our Editorial Director, and will be responsible for putting our issues together, among other things; Wendy Lu, our Director of Internal Affairs, will be overseeing all other operational departments.

TL;DR: Things are changing, but we're not going anywhere. Our second issue is shaping up to be amazing, and we even have some merchandise lined up that we think you'll love. We have so much in store, and I, for one, cannot wait to see where Zara and Wendy take Monstering.

We love you all, and are ready for whatever the future holds.

With monstrosity,

Brianna Albers

Founder