We have some exciting news: Radix is introducing a fiction section. Those of our readers who go way back (like, to the 70s) will know that this is an area that Radix hasn’t previously touched. But we are now – and we are stoked. Jessica Walters, the fiction editor, provides the following introductory thought on the importance of fiction:
As children we learn from well-meaning adults that nonfiction is true and fiction is fake. While the mnemonic device (f for fiction, f for fake) works neatly, any reader of fiction soon discovers that the line between true and fakeis far from neat. Fiction isn’t true in the literal sense, but cuts straight to emotional truth, satisfying a craving for story. The very best stories welcome us inside them—first as a guest in Jane Eyre’s Thornfield Hall, Elinor Dashwood’s Barton College, Chief Bromden’s psychiatric ward in Oregon—and then as a participant. We become part of the story, and if we allow it, the story becomes a part of us. Fiction encourages us to care deeply, to become more empathetic, more generous, and more humane. This is, perhaps, why Jesus told stories. In the telling of the story of the Good Samaritan, he invites us to imagine ourselves not just as the obvious hero, but as the fearful priest, the rushed religious leader, the vulnerable man left flayed on the roadside. Fiction allows us to imaginatively enter a story, to have compassion for the hero and the villain, and ultimately come to terms with both the light and dark aspects of ourselves.
So, with that in mind, we’d like to present you with our very first two short stories.
From Jeffrey Allen Mays, we have “Under the Sun”
From Jana Kaye, we have “In Case of Fire”
Also, we’d invite you to share the word! And if you are interested in sending us some of you fiction, you can go to our submission page.