Dear Reader,

Welcome to the inaugural issue of Conte. This project began a year ago in San Francisco, when two young writers decided once and for all they hated cross-country flights and airline food. From that cradle of uncomfortable seats and upset stomachs, over the course of many months and long distance calls, they worked to build the foundation for the online journal they always had wanted to read - a journal that revolved around storytelling. Their aim was to create a forum for new narrative writing, which would allow them to showcase short stories, nonfiction essays, and poetry by unpublished writers and acclaimed authors alike. The goal was simple: keep the focus on character, plot, experience, transcendence.

We are those young and foolish writers, and Conte is our little corner of the literary world. We hope it'll become yours as well.

We think this first issue is full of outstanding poetry and prose, and we hope you enjoy reading it. We would especially like to thank all of our contributors, who believed strongly enough in our collective mission to join a young venture with no reputation. Though every literary journal is bound by the tastes and idiosyncrasies of its editors, we are immensely confident that this first issue offers some exceptional work. If this is your first time with us, we encourage you to have a look around, and if you like what you see, send us your own narrative vision, and become a part of our tribe.

After all, we’re in this together...and this is only the beginning.

Adam & Robert, May 2005

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