Editor’s Note Nine Halloweens ago, Pour Vida’s inaugural issue was unleashed upon the world, stitched together like Frankenstein’s monster, only we had a lot more love for our creation than ol’ Victor did. Still, to think that eight years and nine Halloweens have passed since Issue #1 is somewhat surprisingly, a little staggering, but mostly humbling. This ‘zine was born out of a desire to showcase our collective of talented friends and connect with other creatives beyond our purview. I have the fondest memories of stitching together that first issue. Adam Martinez and I would come home from grad classes near 10 PM, crack a few Newcastle Werewolfs, and debate the table of contents. That issue and autumn were bursting with possibility. Which brings me to this issue and this autumn. After all these years obsessively wandering the October Country — both personally and in the capacity of PV — I’ve come to accept this very specific, incredibly special time of the year means something different to everyone. For some, it’s watching the goriest slashers every to defile celluloid. For others, it’s simply carving a jack-o-lantern on Halloween night and setting it out on the porch. And these are simply two extremes of acknowledging the season. For me, someone that lives year-round in the October Country, it’s the little flourishes of autumn that tend to take me by surprise and bring me the most joy. It’s the fleeting moment when you’re standing in an open space (maybe on the tracks of a long-defunct railway) and feeling that insinuating autumn breeze runs crisp-hot by your ears, orchestrating that high-pitch dog-whistle of a sound that reminds you that you’ve wandered into a strange land, where eerie happenings aren’t just possible but encouraged by the atmosphere and its beautifully twisted physics. Welcome to the October Country. Find your joy in its light and dark corners. -
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Danny De Maio, PV co-founder and co-editior-in-chief
