Editors’ Note

Abstract

Editors’ Note Shereen Inayatulla and Andie Silva We are delighted to witness the publication of this special issue, Nonbinary, at the beginning of our term as WSQ general editors. The urgency and timeliness of this issue cannot be overstated. We are living in a moment of deep polarization, distrust, and grief; every day we experience deliberate attacks and laws against trans, nonbinary, and LGBTQIA+ communities, and must re-energize our fight against oppression by building coalitions. At the same time, we observe a flourishing of identities and the rise of generations committed to self-expression beyond binaries. This special issue emerges from these material conditions and offers paths to engage with, apply, and celebrate nonbinary plurality without reifying a monolithic experience limited to one single concern. We want to thank all of the contributors whose capacious definitions of and approaches to nonbinary experiences showcase the intellectual, educational, artistic, and personal benefits to thinking and thriving outside rigid binary structures. As the contributions in this volume attest, nonbinary thinking can invite us to not only challenge polarization but also find moments of community and make space for hope and joy. Nonbinary perspectives encourage us to push back against an either/or framework; against borders used to police land, bodies, and scholarly disciplines; and against settler-colonial violences that impose a false sense of normativity that is weaponized to uphold dominant power structures. As Marquis Bey brilliantly explores in this issue’s Alerts and Provocations section, nonbinary is also not neutral: nonbinary resists pressures to choose between oppressive modes of being and refuses the imposition of gender as a static category that must shape one’s life. [End Page 11] It is thrilling to observe how the pieces included in this special issue, chosen long before our term began, connect with our vision as coeditors: to amplify the work of practitioners at the helm of gender justice movements and centralize those who are queer, trans, nonbinary, disabled, Black, Indigenous, and people of color. The contributions here exemplify the ways scholarship can embrace multiplicity and reject historically sanctioned divisions between so-called academic and popular genres, conventions, or forms of expression. The deliberate mingling of articles, art, poetry, presentations, and the like offers a richer, more layered conversation. A million thanks to the guest editors of Nonbinary, Red Washburn and JV Fuqua, for their care and dedication in ushering this issue into existence. Their efforts in preparing and editing this issue are immeasurable. Profound gratitude to the team of creative editors, whose attentiveness to the poetry, prose, and visual art bring depth and dimensionality to this issue. We are grateful to the Feminist Press for oversight on the production and distribution of this journal, especially editorial director Lauren Rosemary Hook, executive director Margot Atwell, and production editor Rachel Page. Although our paths crossed only briefly, we thank outgoing assistant editor Nick Whitney and wish Nick the best in an exciting career opportunity ahead. We are looking forward to working with the WSQ editorial board to continue this journal’s legacy and gather new perspectives that can enrich future issues. As new members of the WSQ editorial team, we are brimming with gratitude for Red Washburn’s guidance through our onboarding process. Red and Brianne’s editorial vision, labor, and leadership have left a transformational imprint upon WSQ—one that we humbly endeavor to sustain during our term as coeditors. To stay connected with Red’s work and learn more about Red’s books, Irish Women’s Prison Writing: Mother Ireland’s Rebels, 1960–2010s and the forthcoming Nonbinary: Tr@ns-Forming Gender and Genre in Nonbin@ry Literature, Performance, and Visual Art, we encourage WSQ readers to visit www.redwashburn.com. We are indebted to the WSQ editorial assistants, Maya von Ziegesar and Googie Karrass, for their labor, support, and tireless patience as we navigate the day-to-day intricacies of our new roles. We wish Googie the best as she moves on from her term at WSQ to focus on her dissertation, and we extend a warm welcome to our new editorial assistant, Jah Elyse Sayers. It is an honor to be surrounded by such a brilliant and knowledgeable team of collaborators...