Special Issue One — Grim & Gilded

On Friday, June 24th, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, ending the constitutional right to an abortion.

On Tuesday, September 13th, 2022, Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C) introduced a bill that proposes to ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Nationwide.

Abortion is Healthcare. Bodily Autonomy is a Right.

In the hours, days, weeks that passed after the 24th, I rocketed between pure anger, hopelessness, abandonment, fear, sadness, and many more shades of emotion that I am not sure what color to call them. Even now, when the barest passage of time has allowed the mind to calm by the smallest of measurements, there is still a black, pulsing rock of rage and helplessness deep within my heart. I do not know how to destroy it - if I even can.

But what I do know is the role art in the time of crisis plays. It is crucial. It is both a catharsis and still yet a hurricane unable to be released from the atmospheric pressure that shapes it.

From day one, G&G's mission statement has been to be a safe place for ideas manifested from the human spirit to land; a place where readers can be impacted and changed by the words knit into the fabric of the universe by the creator - the artist. In the days after the Supreme Court decision, I knew I wanted to continue that tenet and open a space for those who were perhaps similarly affected and turning to their craft for support.

Through the generosity of the amazing artists below, Grim & Gilded has been able to donate to the following organizations:

Indigenous Women Rising

In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda

Abortion Care Network

Donation receipts can be found here.

I sincerely thank each and every writer who submitted, as well as all those who spread the word among social media, friends, and colleagues. I encourage you to visit each organization’s website to learn more about the great work they are doing. If you can, please consider donating to them.

The pieces selected below have been kept in their original unedited and rawest form (excepting minor formatting to fit the website). The theme for the issue was Rise, and while Grim & Gilded typically only looks for pieces within the realm of dark, gothic, sci-fi, horror, and fantasy genres, there were no such restrictions for this Special Issue.

Instead we asked for anger, rage, and heartbreak. Hope, strength, and power.

Thank you for the support.

-Carter Brighton
Founder and Editor-in-Chief