Dear Noctules:
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared that COVID-19 had reached pandemic status.
Who will be there for us? An excerpt from our recent digital exhibit on fear as disease:
There's something powerful about the things that remind us that other people around the world
are afraid of the very same boogeyman that we are. They whisper to us in our darkest hour:
You are not alone. In this month’s issue, Proctor’s “The Creep” speaks to our collective sense of grief and loss in chaotic times whilst cautioning against the extremes of panic-turned-to-rage. And, in that vein, Passey’s “Cabrona Mala” explores the ideals of conscience, accountability, and justice. Who are we accountable to? We watch. We wait. We hope. We strive. Just as we always have. Just as we always will. Most vitally, we’d be wise not to forget that we are now more alike than ever: mortality, our great equalizer. Horror mirrors reality, and horror allows us to escape the horrors of reality. Still, horror also enables us to better understand reality. Novel Noctule hopes to bring you a moment’s peace as you stand by in your homes this month. We are with you. The world is with you. What does it mean to be afraid? This world, so loud but also, so very quiet. Until next time, Jacqueline Dyre Publisher | Editor-in-Chief
Artwork by the Novel Noctule team.