Unbordered Issue 03 Launch: Exploration
What does it mean to explore? American emigrants on leaving, arriving, and looking inward.
The third issue of Unbordered is here!
Issue 03: Exploration is now live on our website in digital flipbook format, offering a more visual, intentional way to experience the magazine as a whole.
If you’d prefer to read more gradually, you can also subscribe here to receive weekly featured pieces from the issue, shared over the coming weeks as part of our newsletter.
From the Editor’s Desk
When we chose the theme “exploration,” it was before we knew there was going to be a mission around the moon. During the voyage of Artemis II, I, like most of the world, watched in awe and hope as the crew went further from the Earth than anyone had ever been before. The moment was a powerful reminder of what humanity is capable of when we work towards a greater goal. And it sat in stark contrast to what was happening on the ground—a war baserd on the petty whims of a madman given unprecedented power.
In its best form, this is what exploration should be: discovering our own capabilities, questioning assumptions about who and what we are, and encountering the unknown with open minds and hearts. But, we know, historically, that this is not what it has been about. The people we have named Great Explorers have often also been Great Colonizers or Great Oppressors. Their “discoveries” mistook “new to them” for “new to everyone” because the indigenous peoples they encountered–who did not look like them–could, of course, not be counted as people. This is the legacy that exploration has left behind: one of validation through (white) experience and usurped authority. Let’s not forget they put a flag on the moon.
And this is the legacy that we now have to reckon with as Americans who move abroad, especially if we are moving to the Global South or places with less global power.
But it is my hope that, as we explore this issue, we can harness our curious spirit and use it for good–that we can look inside of ourselves and unearth the ways that being an American has formed our being, sifting through the ash to find important artifacts.
In this issue, Jessica Wilde explores what it means to leave unfinished parts of yourself behind, and Kenneth Kesner explores grief, ritual, and sacred space. Orlando de los Santos explores what it looks like to rally a family around a trans child, and Jason Mizula searches for a life that causes less harm. Cecily Stone explores the moment of arrival that feels like freefall, and Sarah Bolen examines ethical exploration and shows us what it’s like to guide other explorers. Meghan Hyland explores how a community can magically grow to accommodate the people who need it, and artist Gerrit Vooren explores creating in the moment, mistakes included.
These are beautiful stories full of hope and sadness and grief and dancing. I’m so honored to share them with you.
Amber Stewart is the founder and poetry editor of Unbordered. She moved from Nashville to Montevideo, Uruguay in 2024, where she lives with her wife and their dog. Her debut memoir-in-essays, In the Garden: An Almanac for Uprooting is forthcoming.
Looks beautiful! Can't wait to dive into this edition deeper.