I consider Hard Copy 30 to be a defining magazine for us. Not only have we remained on time with our release schedule, HC30 is our first themed issue, and it’s all about homelessness.
This magazine came together in our normal fashion. We scrambled for stories and asked people across town for favors. Parts of it felt rushed and haphazard, which feels strangely commonplace for us. But I also came to understand that HC30 has been in production for much longer than any other magazine we’ve put out. This isn’t because we’ve been crafting stories for months on end, but because we live in Tacoma, and it’s impossible to ignore the unhoused situation here, no matter how hard any of us try.
Every word we write and magazine we produce exists within the shadow of our neighbors who live on the street. Each story you’ve read from us contains an air of understanding; a knowledge that the grit Tacomans possess endures because it has to, lest we fall victim to the boot above us.
Each story you’ve read from us contains an air of understanding; a knowledge that the grit Tacomans possess endures because it has to, lest we fall victim to the boot above us.
Living in America is to live under constant threat of losing your housing. It’s always been this way. If you do not, or cannot, work, you can become unhoused. If parenthood is on your horizon, but funds for daycare are not, you can become unemployed, and then unhoused. An injury that takes too long to heal can lead from the operation table to the street. Grief, which we all know waits for no one, can linger for more time than expected and lead to your family sleeping in a car.
Some of you will read these words and immediately disagree. If I were to remain true to how the magazine has moved in the past I would invite you out for a beer on my dime. There is nothing wrong with this. I won’t be extending an invitation though, I don’t really enjoy beer (I’ll argue my point that no one truly enjoys the taste of alcohol later.)
Speaking to one another is a requirement to move society forward, but Tacoma needs compassion more than another chatty magazine editor, and I believe compassion is best learned on the page. To read a story is to be fitted for another person’s shoes.
Hopefully this magazine has your size.
