This issue of The Torch centers around the theme of hope in all its iterations and interpretations, from the power of hope in the face of adversity, to the healing properties of optimism, to the darkness that can engulf us in moments that feel truly hopeless. Our authors and artists grapple with the complex nature of hope through pieces that wield hope in the fight against oppression and hatred, meditate on how hope changes us, and offer glimmers of hope in the midst of suffering.

It is the aim of The Torch to highlight a variety of different voices and styles, united by a common thread but unique in their approaches. In this issue, we see the theme of hope play out on streets where bigotry and racism are rampant, in the depths of the sea where hope is nothing but a faraway glint of sunlight, on a slab of concrete where a flower blooms against all odds, in an unexpected break in the clouds, in the warm glow of a candle in the darkness. Through works of poetry, fiction, and visual art, readers experience both the fragility and fortitude of enduring hope.