Spring 2020
Kindred Ties
A Note from the Editors
Out on the brink of exploration, we are not alone. Do you feel them? The bonds that unite us with the generations who came before? We do.
In the spring 2020 issue of Hidden Compass, we invite you to sink into stories of kindred ties.
In the wake of tragedy, Erin Byrne finds her kindred spirit in a burning cathedral. For our written feature and Chasing Demons story, with original artwork by Rosanna Tasker, Byrne reflects on centuries of glory and turmoil, and explores the pain of waiting for the moment when Our Ravaged Lady can rise from the ashes.
For our photo feature, Hidden Compass co-founder Sivani Babu finds herself on a pursuit that not only spans the globe, but also parallels a Quest undertaken by Van Gogh in the 19th century. Both Babu and Gogh, however, find their travels cut short, and must discover what’s left When the World is Withdrawn.
Then, just months before the 75th anniversary of V-E Day — the day the Allied Forces declared victory over Nazi Germany — Hidden Compass editor Sonya Pevzner turns to a centuries-old baking tradition to connect her to her ancestors. In this Time Travel story, Pevzner, a first-generation Jewish-Russian refugee, breaches distances of time, understanding, and identity. The result is as wrenching as heartbreak, and as Sweet as Challah.
Meanwhile, on a tropical archipelago off the coast of Panama, the Guna people face the end of their current way of life. In our Human and Nature story, William Cordeiro travels to the islands, chronicles a stalled evacuation plan, and finds that the Guna aren’t the only ones caught Between Two Worlds.
And for our final story, Martha Ezell journeys to the sacred fir forests of Mexico’s trans-volcanic mountain ranges. In her Portrait of an ethereal, multigenerational migration, Ezell bears witness to the majesty of millions, and the Journey of a Golden Soul.
In troubling times, we hope these journeys remind us of the bonds we share.
As always, we extend our deepest gratitude to our readers, who share our vision of powerful storytelling, and to our contributors, who bring us stories from the frontiers of exploration.
Until the next voyage,
Sabine Bergmann and Sivani Babu, Hidden Compass Co-Founders
Liz Shemaria, Hidden Compass Founding Editor
Sonya Pevzner, Editor