Cortney McConnell is an interdisciplinary artist living and working in Oklahoma.

Emily Perkovich is from the Chicago area. She is the editor-in-chief of Querencia Press, a poetry reader with Split Lip Mag, and on the Women in Leadership Advisory Board with Valparaiso University. Her work strives to erase the stigma surrounding trauma victims and their responses.

I never imagined being in the same category as Chrissy Teigen, Kim Kardashian, or Tan France. Nor could I have dreamed of someone else carrying and birthing my child. I’ve never aspired to celebrity culture or cared much about it, but alas, when my fertility doctor suggested pursuing surrogacy as my most viable path to parenthood, I began my journey into what I thought was the seemingly unattainable life of the rich and famous.

Joseph Fasano is a poet, novelist, songwriter, and teacher. He shares with us two poems that feel right for Issue #4–Carry: “At the Winter Solstice” and “How to Survive.”

Intertwined within this conversation are reflections on the complex emotions that emerge from pregnancy loss and birth experiences, the wisdom of the body, trusting the body, and our culture’s poor grasp on what it means to grieve.

Anna Kohlweis is an interdisciplinary artist merging writing, painting, music, fiber art, sculpture, video, and illustration.

Ava Mahtab is a writer and doctor from Saudi Arabia. She composes poetry, articles, and short stories inspired by nature and her work experiences.