Dear reader,

The Talisman is known nationally as a publication that helps tell unique stories that may otherwise have gone untold. Our magazines are homes for eccentric, bubbly personalities that share a space with challenged histories and uncertain futures. It is a place where the spectrum of souls who inhabit WKU, Bowling Green and the surrounding region collide, and stories capture the community as it was, is and will be. Over the course of five years and 10 magazines, talented staffs of writers, photographers, designers and editors mixed with compelling, inviting subjects have allowed the Talisman to be a voice of our culture.

Voice can represent any form of communication or expression. It can be literal voices used to stream podcasts as told in “On air.” Perhaps it’s using voice through music and performance, demonstrated in “Life on stage” and “Tones through the times.” It could also represent when voices fail at communicating because of language barriers, discussed in “Phrase gap.”

Some voices are heard through creative outlets, like WKU students finding themselves through fashion in “Threads of expression.”

For others, the voice of tarot cards helps guide the way to self-discovery, as told in “Written in the cards.” In “Art beyond identity,” BIPOC artists tell how their creative expression does not necessarily rely on their voices as minorities. For those in the “(Un)confined,” labels in the LGBTQ+ community can simultaneously help and hurt individuals trying to find their voice.

At times, voices are challenged against difficult obstacles. In “A seat at the bench,” we examine the way women are treated in the criminal justice field and how people push forward. We also explore the border between life and death in “Escaping oblivion” and “Rewriting the epilogue.”

Whether struggling with your voice or thriving because of it, these stories should highlight the importance of pursuing your true voice or understanding the value in already owning it. In a year full of shaky reverberations, let these stories serve as a reminder that having any voice is enough, and on the other end may soon be a proud shout.

MAX ZAMBRANO

Editor-in-chief