A Letter from the Editor-in-Chief

Happy New Year, dear readers!

This year is off to an interesting start, to say the least.

As we head into 2021, we want The Attic on Eighth to remain a safe haven for your mental wellbeing. As we navigated through the challenges of 2020, we turned towards comfort as a core element that drove our content, and we hope to continue that in the coming months. The calendar year has turned, but very little has changed. The COVID-19 crisis continues to be a global pandemic that affects each and every one of us, largely confined to our homes for most and small circles at best, even as the world spins madly on.

Here at The Attic on Eighth, we like to joke that we’re an ‘aesthetic coven,’ but we know — despite our collective love of travel — that we’re also primarily a group of people who cherish the comforts of home. Cozy evenings spent with warm drinks and favorite books are core to our well-being. Our pets are our favorite companions. Writing, drawing, knitting, and embroidering are beloved pastimes. The decors of our homes, from the artwork on our walls, to the blankets we wrap ourselves up in, to the candles that light our cozy evenings, are sources of pride. And whether we bake or cook ourselves or not, we find great joy in the food we consume.

The simple pleasures of these daily luxuries sometimes fade when our homebodied states are less a matter of choice and more a matter of survival and obligation, as more lockdowns and curfews have come in with the new year, and venturing out has become a matter of health, work, and survival. Especially as much of the Northern Hemisphere is going through the still-dark days of winter and the Southern is facing the challenges of a summer largely indoors. Mental health can become extremely difficult to manage. I personally have found myself battling depression over the past six or so months, after having spent over a decade believing it was behind me and anxiety was my remaining demon. It’s hard to be in the same rooms every day, to not see your friends, and to have to say goodbye to all the haunts and daily habits that had heretofore helped manage daily gloom. Visiting our favorite bookshops, coffee shops, museums, and restaurants is indefinitely on hold, and it is difficult to do without these small comforts. There is no shame in admitting it. COVID-19 has dealt us a different world, hard and sometimes seemingly impossible.

While it might be naïve to believe that 2020 turning into 2021 promises to change much beyond numbers, there is still a magic to the promise of a new chapter of time. New shots at old dates. New life. New opportunities. New memories. New chances to embrace the things we love.

And so as we go further into 2021, I want us to make sure that our community stays strong. The Attic on Eighth will continue to focus on the things that we all love and that bring comfort to our daily lives: literature, film, culture, and fashion. Favorite recipes will make occasional appearances once again, and we hope to bring more to you about the activities that have brought us joy this past year. While we can’t venture out across the world for the time being, we’ll return to traveling through the pages and visiting different locations around the globe through favorite books, films, and artwork. Politics will continue featuring on our pages (site and social media, included) because we do not believe in keeping them separate, especially now. And we hope that you will continue to join us in creating the content that we love.

Historically, we have not published open calls at The Attic on Eighth before, accepting that we are a passion project without funds to pay our writers. Remaining ad free has allowed us to be sure we only share content that we love and hope you do, too. We also have, luckily, had a wonderful group of writers and contributors come to us over the years, and we are so thrilled to have gotten to know and love so many of you. In that vein, we are always here for those who have not yet but also wish to join. We especially welcome new perspectives; if you don’t see what you want to read on our pages, give it a try and write it yourself. Like any art form, writing takes practice, and our team of experienced editors would be pleased to work with you in developing and honing that skill. We’re all young professionals here — many of us in academia, teaching, writing, and other creative fields — and we’re excited to learn from one another. Our submissions page remains open, and you are welcome to contact us there or via hello@theatticoneighth.com should you wish to pitch an article to us.

As we continue to grow in this world and in our little corner of the internet, we hope to always be a safe haven for those who wish to write for the joy of it, who wish to share their voice freely, and like us, have a deep love for the small and wonderful pleasures that keep us going. Most of all, we thank each and every one of you here already, for giving us your time and unwavering support and hope we can continue to brighten your screens.

All the best, from myself and the rest of us here at The Attic on Eighth,

---

Olivia Gündüz-Willemin is Editor-in-Chief of The Attic on Eighth. She is dedicated to reading her way through the world and trying to stay as calm as possible.