FLARE Magazine

Art by Anahita Karthik

Issue 6

Editor’s Note

Dear Reader,

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you stay a while and read this issue. With a record-breaking submission period, I received over 300 submissions this round! Wow! I’m so honored that so many people want to submit to FLARE. Today is October 18th, 2026, which is the beginning of Invisible Disabilities Week. It’s a week that is dedicated to all forms of invisible disabilities and strives to break the stigma. You can learn more here.

Every issue I publish, even if there isn’t a dedicated theme, like this time, somehow themes evolve through the pieces themselves. In this issue, I saw a lot of oceanic imagery, pieces about bodies being a battlefield, and fluid/movement whether through prose, poetry, or art, and I think these common themes can help tell a story about how mental health, disabilities, and/or chronic illnesses impact our lives.

So, How Can You Support FLARE?

Reading this issue and spreading the word through social media, newsletters, writing groups, word of mouth, etc. are some examples! Additionally, if you’re new here, FLARE has a merch shop and a GoFundMe, where all proceeds of both go toward funding future contests and beyond, in an attempt to pay disabled creators. FLARE is always free to read and submit to, but I was able to host my first contest this year where winners and runners up got paid, and I’d love to do that in the future!

Lastly, if you feel really generous and want to support your EIC, I have a ko-fi or a chapbook I wrote on chronic illness published by Bottlecap Press, but these are always very optional. People often ask how they can support me as the only volunteer and chronically ill editor/reader working on this literary magazine, but I do love FLARE for the sake of bringing people together and spreading awareness about these topics.

As always, I hope you enjoy this issue, and please, shout about it to your friends, your family, and the people around you. Disabled voices deserve to be heard, seen, and felt!

Yours truly,
Kelly Esparza
Editor-in-Chief of FLARE Magazine