Edition No. 18 / Fall 2026 / Trauma

Dear readers and contributors,

I spend my days working as a therapist with a focus on trauma. This was a career change later in life, one I chose because nothing is as meaningful to me as the human experience. My work is fulfilling, but there are limits and stressors I didn’t anticipate beyond paperwork: saying goodbye when someone heals. Sitting in depths of intractable suffering. And the isolation of everything said or felt living only between me and clients, no matter how powerful or universal.

Art subverts therapy’s shortcomings. It is for sharing, connecting, expanding. We can engage as much or as little as we want with what is offered. It’s an honor to experience what people share, and exhilarating to be able to pass it on.

This and the next two issues of Backchannels have a themed arc: Trauma, Resilence, and Joy. The works in this issue range from grief to tragedy to quiet reflection, through multiple genres and brillant takes on the theme. Laura, Mary, and I are working as a strong team these days and I couldn’t be more thankful for what this project provides. I hope you enjoy this edition as much as we enjoyed creating it.

With gratitude,
Leslie Caton Frey