I was talking to a very close friend the other day about what’s been tormenting me these days (and not just me, it seems): the thought of collapsing civilizations, the acute grief of two wars, the unbearable fear for the lives of those being steamrolled by these wars, anxiety about the future, but most of all, not knowing what to do in the midst of all this, what to do with so much horror and uncertainty. My friend said something that put a lot of things into perspective for me. “I take my cue from the orchestra on the Titanic,” he said. “It’s not about whether the Titanic will sink or not, whether you’ll be saved or not. It’s about how when you can’t do anything, you can do something. Your existence becomes meaningful – at least for you. And your music might even console someone else.”
Now I, too, follow the example of the orchestra on the Titanic. I can do my job every day, step by step. For example, I can help the ROAR team make ROAR. My help makes my personal existence a little more meaningful. There is hope that our work is needed by our readers. Yes, thoughts about how civilizations are collapsing, the feeling of acute grief from two wars, the unbearable fear for the lives of those who are being steamrolled by these wars, anxiety for the future do not go away. But you have to play music - and you play music. Maybe if we all play our music, our hands will be too busy to take up weapons - and generally torment each other.
Many thanks to my colleagues who play the main parts in this orchestra. The main version of the issue is made by its editor-in-chief Maria Vul and editors and proofreaders — Elena Mikerina, Artem Khlebnikov, Olga Chaika, Mark Kanturov and others. For the English version, I want to thank its editor-in-chief Tatyana Rudyak, poetry editors Evan Dudnik, Isabelle Iny, Robert Darwen, and our amazing translators. And, of course, this issue would not exist if not for the design team: Masha Torovich, Elena Urman, Anna G., Yulia Shcherbino and Marta V. And I am incredibly grateful to Veta Sbitnikova and her team for the design and technical functioning of the site.
The next, eighteenth issue of ROAR will be released at the end of May. We will be happy to consider poetry, prose, art and sound works related to the main theme of the publication, in any format: please send them to [email protected]. We thank you in advance.
Sincerely, Linor Goralik, ROAR Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
March 24, 2025