​Aunt Chloe is an artistic response to an absence of truth—to any void in the representation of our narratives. Historically grounded in artist-activism, Aunt Chloe is situated at the crux of every social justice movement—bound by its mission to reclaim the time and space that Black women have been denied. What began as the Spelman College literary magazine Focus (published from the 1960’s until 2008) metamorphosed into Aunt Chloe: A Journal of Artful Candor in 2009, when its editor-in-chief, Kyla Marshell, conjured the legacies of two Black women named Chloe: the character Aunt Chloe in Frances Ellen Watkins Harper’s 1872 poem, “Aunt Chloe’s Politics,” and Chloe Anthony Wofford (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford), otherwise known as Toni Morrison. Kyla renamed the journal in tribute to them—inspired by 2007 Focus editor-in-chief Chantal James’s suggestion that its new name be that of a woman and also include “Aunt” (an honorific title for elders who nurture and guide us). Chloe means “green shoot” or “blossoming,” as Kyla discovered. As the journal has evolved to an online format, those connotations again seem particularly relevant. Aunt Chloe continues to blossom. We are excited to extend the vision of the editors and contributors who curated the journal before us, as we continue to claim and enlarge the spaces within which to create and narrate, in particular, Black women’s lives.

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Copyright © 2023 by Sharan Strange, Sequoia Maner, and Spelman College (the "Publishers") and all the contributors included herein. All rights reserved. No portion of this journal may be reproduced by any process or technique without the expressed written permission of the authors and Publishers. (Note: These works may not be reproduced for sale or resale, general distribution, or the production and promotion of other works unless explicitly agreed to by the specific and original creators of the content.)

This journal is devoted to creative and critical works concerning the histories, cultures, lives, and perspectives of black people worldwide—especially women of African descent—and accepts original submissions only. We do not accept legal responsibility for any of the materials published herein, nor do the works published here necessarily represent the views of the editors or Spelman College.