Literary Mixtape Volume 29

Side A:

"To Sally, When the Wine Runs Out" • ROLE MODEL (by Sally Toner)

"Run" • Snow Patrol (by Lee Hamblin)

Side B:

"Superheroes" • Daft Punk (by Aleithia Stephens)

"Livin' La Vida Loca" • Ricky Martin (by Alex Miller)

November 1, 2026

I won't belabour it. This is the last volume of your literary mixtape, and I'm thankful to everyone who read, submitted, published, and shared in the three years we've been active. You're appreciated more than you know.

Thanks especially to Amy E. Casey, who breathed life into the mag's online presence when I didn't have capacity.

I have a lot of respect and admiration for editors who keep their mags going for years and years. That admiration doubles now especially, while volunteer readers face slush piles bloated with AI slop, and mags grapple with purpose vis-a-vis platforms that favour self-publishing. The dance between writers and editors is a time-honoured one. Call me an optimist, but I don't believe it dissolves under the pressures of modern publishing.

Process is humbling and joyful. It should be hard. Anything worth doing always is.

Don't cheat yourself of it.

xo,

Kirsti