Editor-in-chief Lucy Purdy introduces the latest issue of Positive News magazine, which is out now
“Every crisis,” writes US author and activist Rebecca Solnit in her latest essay collection, “is in part a storytelling crisis.”
“The most important territory to take is in the imagination,” she continues. “Once you create a new idea of what is possible and acceptable, the seeds are planted.”
In the Jul-Sep issue, we set foot in that territory, sharing the stories of people who are planting seeds of positive change. We meet the parents behind the fast-growing Smartphone Free Childhood movement, who refused to accept the status quo for their kids and are now helping the nation reimagine what childhood could look like in the digital age.
Then there’s the woman who rescues swarms of honey bees and nurtures them to produce award- winning jars of gold; The Green Runners, who are showing that sport and sustainability can coexist; and a national arts project that puts the voices of UK fishers and farmers centre stage.
Together, these stories remind us that the future isn’t something we await – it’s something we create
Who would have imagined, too, that perfume is being used to unlock memory and healing in UK prisons? Meanwhile, in London, discarded trees are being transformed into beautiful furniture. We also hear from Kate Wilson, whose courageous fight for justice after being deceived by an undercover police officer, is a testament to perseverance and grit.
These aren’t just hopeful tales, they’re blueprints for something better. Together, these stories remind us that the future isn’t something we await – it’s something we create. And it begins, as Solnit says, in the imagination.
Cover illustration: Sam Peet
