By Alyssa Henderson
Managing Editor of Songs of Survival
Have a story you’d like to share about survival? Submit your piece, whether it be poetry, prose, art, or photography, to our literary journal, Songs of Survival!
If you’re new to Songs of Survival, thanks for stopping by, we’re so glad you’ve found your way here!
Since we aren’t your conventional literary journal, let us introduce ourselves. Songs of Survival is a literary journal produced in conjunction with the organization, Survivors to Superheroes, which strives to fight for survivors and their loved ones of all backgrounds through advocacy and creating original content and educational resources. With our literary journal, we’re hoping to build a supportive community where survivors and their loved ones can come to share their stories in a creative and freeing way. The President of Survivors to Superheroes, and Songs of Survival’s Editor in Chief, Julia Tortorello-Allen, can back me up on this when I say that we’ve both experienced writing as a healing factor in coping with trauma. We want to make sure that, for survivors, there is a space for them to feel heard and release some of the weight they may be carrying.
It’s amazing to think that, during the summer of last year, our team was just starting to get the ball rolling, based solely on Julia’s vision to start a literary journal. After months of hard work reviewing submissions, communicating with our contributors, and carefully piecing our journal together, we’ve finally got a compelling compilation of creative pieces that we can’t wait to share with you. The contributors featured in our first issue each expertly craft their experiences in a unique way that explores the nuances and complexities of the overarching topic of our journal, survival. We couldn’t be prouder of them for bravely coming forward with their stories.
We are thrilled to invite you to grab a cup of coffee, tea, water, or whatever drink suits you best, get comfortable, and spend some time with our first ever issue of Songs of Survival. And, if you’re feeling inspired after reading and would like to come forward with your own story, whether it be told through poetry, prose, art, or photography, we would love to work with you to have your work published. You can submit your piece(s) here.
Alyssa Henderson
She/her
It started with a passion for writing at three, flourished into a English degree that abruptly ended due to a virus, and developed into a lot of days wasted in bed, staring at the ceiling while blasting Fleetwood Mac records. After receiving a plethora of job rejections, I found a light at the end of the tunnel, working for an organization that celebrates and empowers survivors on their path to healing. A seat on Survivors to Superheroes’ literary journal was open and (with encouragement from some close friends) I decided to send in my resume, excited by the opportunity to offer a creative space for survivors to express themselves. After writing a 60 page creative writing thesis during college that charted my own personal growth and healing, I was ready to encourage people to do the same, and that passion still lives on today.