In 2021, TCR introduced “From the Archives,” a guest-curated newsletter, which took thematically related art, poetry, and long-form writing from past issues and placed them in conversation with each other. Thanks to the support of a BCAC Early Career Development Grant, we’ve brought associate editor Jastej Luddu on board to assist with a new and exciting archival project in anticipation of the magazine’s fiftieth birthday. This year, “From the Archives” will consider different periods in TCR’s history, the relationship of past issues to one another, and themes and narratives that emerge from sifting through a half-century of art and writing. We hope to use the series to highlight the insights of past contributors to TCR and their relevance to the current moment. Additionally, by reflecting on TCR‘s past, we can confront the kinds of Eurocentric aesthetic values and commitments that have structured the Canadian arts and literary scene for far too long. Jastej’s expertise in issues related to race and memorialization will help us consider the ways in which the archive is not just a historical record, but a tool that can be used to engage with the past and imagine more inclusive futures and spaces for stories from marginalized communities.

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