Welcome to the third issue of Quist!
As 2025 careens toward its end, we here at Quist have been hard at work gathering the remarkable pieces that comprise this issue: one comic, two stories, two hybrid works, three pieces of creative non-fiction, 10 poems, and 11 original works of visual art (alas, no lords a-leapin’ or maids a-milkin’, but we do have a cadre of intergalactic toe collectors—and Pennies, the creepy hotel clerk).
Once again, we’re astounded by the vulnerability, humour, bravery, and inventiveness that saturate this work. Our contributors range in age from 14 (Abigail Wilson, Mileah Wawatie) to 21 (Katherine Li) and hail from Quebec City (Øri), Kitigan Zibi (Mileah Wawatie), Kanehsatà:ke (Rose), Boucherville (Luck R. P. Hart), and beyond. (Montréal and environs too, of course!)
These works often explore thresholds—those uncomfortable spaces between childhood and adulthood (Benjamin Kohn, “Names in a Bear”; Abigail Wilson, “The Contortionist”), trauma and healing (Rose, “Peace and Growth”), staying and leaving (Maya Mohammad, “Confessions—May to September”; Daria Kulagina, “Our Journey in Canada”), longing and belonging (Coralie, “I Am From”)—places where transformation becomes inevitable. The visual art also dwells in these uncomfortable spaces—the exposed vulnerability of split fruit (Christina Simeonidis, “Good Luck”), a dreamscape teetering between whimsy and menace (Mintstar, “Origami Maelstrom”). Some contributors push formal boundaries too, experimenting with narrative voice, verb tense, and structure to mirror their characters’ journeys (Aiden Vaillant, “Tripping into Sedona”).
This issue also features a conversation between Issue 2 contributor Adrien Thibault and Rich Larson, one of the most exciting and celebrated speculative fiction writers working in short fiction today. In their exchange, Rich talks about worldbuilding, breaking into publishing as a young writer, and handling the inevitable rejection that comes with putting work out into the world. As a long-time fan of Rich’s work—and someone who routinely experiences rejection in my own writing life—I’m delighted to share this peek into his process.
As we reflect on our first year of existence—yippee!—we’re proud not only of what we’ve published but also of the community we’ve been building behind the scenes. It’s been thrilling to watch former Quist contributors flourish. Here’s a sampling of what some of them have been up to. Issue 1’s Jessica Bakar has had work published in Ahoy, Maybe, and Geist, with pieces forthcoming in Polyphony Lit, The Maine Review, and The Penn Review. She recently served as Editor-in-Chief for Issues 5 and 6 of Snaps Journal. Fellow Issue 1 contributor Ruohan Wallis had a poem published in Blue Marble Review, while Snowside continues releasing new music.
From Issue 2, Aisha Nyerere is working on a chapbook manuscript with mentor Emily Tristan Jones through a QWF mentorship program and was recently interviewed for the Bold and Creative Podcast by Metropolis Blue. Anahita Farahdel was a finalist for the QWF’s College Writers Award. Jessy Lafrenière participated in Robert Edison Sandiford’s QWF workshop on building short story collections, and is developing a science fiction narrative that may become his first novel. Meanwhile, Adrien Thibault is writing a short story every two weeks while juggling his second year of law school.
Bravo, alumni!
This season has been exciting in other ways here at Quist headquarters—which, in case you’re wondering, is a pigeon’s nest made of eight cigarette butts, five dried leaves, four straws, three pieces of electrical wire, two takeout-container lids, and a compact disc, strewn across the steel mesh beneath the Atwater Tunnel ceiling. We’ve realized that, in addition to publication and feedback, we can nurture and support young writers by offering mini-mentorships to help them develop promising work. We’re grateful for the support we’ve received in this fledgling initiative from Tara McGowan Ross, Coltrane Seesequasis, Mona Gendron, and Natalie Kishchuk.
Thanks, as always, to my editorial “A Team”—Erin Samant, Ev Ricky, Jessica Bebenek, and John Wickham—and to guest poetry editor Mona Gendron, as well as Jessica Landry, who joins us as outreach coordinator, and Lillian Simons, whose perspective was valuable in reviewing work for this issue. I’m also grateful to the individuals who have donated to Quist in recent months (in case you didn’t get the picture from our HQ description, we could use a little extra padding!), as well as the Quebec Writers’ Federation and our funders, The Phyllis Lambert Foundation and Canadian Heritage, whose backing makes Quist possible.
My thanks, finally, to the educators, youth workers, community leaders, and aunties throughout Quebec I’ve corresponded with over the last months, who are encouraging the young writers and artists in their lives to share their work with us. You are the partridge in our pear tree!
Enjoy colliding with the delightful, unsettling, and astounding work we offer here. See you on the other side!
Jen DeLeskie
Editor-in-Chief
Quist