HUSK 1.1

Have y’all seen that Peter Jackson documentary about the Beatles? My child and I watched it at the prompting of their dear music teacher, and although we couldn’t finish it (it made us both too sad), there’s a moment in the film I keep thinking about. The band is noodling around in the echoey TV studio, just shooting the shit, and John Lennon says something along the lines of: “I’ve come to the conclusion it’s all about connection.” The line is easily lost amid the many hours of footage, but for me it was pivotal. As a creative person, I’ve thought a lot about the purpose of art—I mean art of all kinds: music, writing, film, a finely-crafted donut, a meticulously pruned shrub—and although there may be countless subsidiary reasons, I have long believed the number one motivation is connection.

I recently changed occupations. For the past several years (and, yes, I mean all through quarantine) I managed a bar. My day was composed of many small (and not so small) interactions. Sometimes I got to know the person I served well. I knew the name of their spouse or their dog. Their favorite band. If they liked their job. If they were in a fight with their mother. Their hidden talent. Sometimes the connection was cursory. The words exchanged were few but hopefully still pleasant as we briefly indented each other’s lives. My job now is home-based. It requires me to spend a great deal of time on social media (that vast millennial wasteland of recycled mom jeans, cute cats, and recreational envy). My level of human interaction has dropped drastically. I have become, as I suspect many others have over the past two years, HUNGRY for connection.

And so, when I heard that line uttered by John Lennon in Jackson’s film, I thought to myself, “Yo, Lizzie, why don’t you just make something?” So, that’s what this zine is about: connecting with these lovely contributors, connecting these contributors to you, connecting to you—whoever you are: my closest friend or stranger I will never meet. This small thing you hold in your hands* I made for you with my hands**. We are a community now. Now, we are connected.  

All my love,

Liz

*on your screen   **and my computer