This issue of The Leader is dedicated to my friend Mason Campbell. Mason and I were both raised in the same religion. After leaving the church, Mason tried to live life on his own accord, but it was difficult for him to navigate through life without having a strong support system.
he is flying towards himself and who he is — a place where he can finally be himself and be at peace.
The graphic also represents the process of letting go of past traumas and looking forward to sunny days in the future.
Graphic of a Mason jar with angel wings flying towards the sun by DICE YANDOW | Staff Artist.
“The Mason” is the name of this edition of The Leader for many reasons. Not only is it Mason’s name, but it references the idea of how Mason jars were originally created during the 1800s to preserve fruits and vegetables for the winter after the summer season had ended.
The stories in this edition of The Leader were all written by me and feature inspiring artists who I have met since Mason’s death. The stories all discuss poignant issues now facing our world today: housing inequities, gun violence, self-ownership, marriage equality and religious indoctrination. We currently live in a world where women don’t own their bodies and the black body has a looming expiration date — a world where gay and interracial marriage are currently up for Senatorial debate. These are the inequalities and injustices that many of us have become descendants of.
However, the artists in this magazine have found healthy ways to overcome the circumstances and realities that they’ve been subjected to, showing how we don’t have to let what we have inherited define or consume us. They have transformed surface cracks into glistening glitter and gold. They have turned their own struggles, pain and insecurities into immortal art to inspire others. They have found ways to transcend.
I hope that you enjoy each of these magical humans’ stories as much as I loved writing about them all. It is now time to open the Mason jar.
Wishing you peace, love and positivity,
Will Karr
Editor in Chief
This issue of The Leader was designed by Alyssa Bump and Henry Domst. This magazine was originally created in Fall 2022 for Elmer Ploetz’s Fall COMM-346 Editing and Design course.