This year's journal celebrates our guest poet, Natasha Trethewey, a Pulitzer Prize winner who served two terms as the 19th Poet Laureate of the United States. Her poem, "Enlightenment," beautifully echoes this year's theme, "Illuminating the Darkness." The journal includes first-time submitters and acclaimed poet Nikki Giovanni, Virginia Poet Laureates Ron Smith, and Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda. The Artemis 2024 cover features the artwork of artist Cynthia Wicks. In the aftermath of the pandemic in March 2020, Cynthia grappled with the question, "How does one create beautiful art in the face of such darkness?" She confessed that she nearly gave up painting due to the profound impact of the pandemic and the political unrest. Despite this, her image, "Jojo's view "captures the emergence of beauty and light. The journal showcases the work of 56 poets and 42 artists from the Blue Ridge Mountains and beyond. Artemis proudly celebrates 48 years of existence as a beacon of resilience by offering a path to healing for our community through poetry and art.

Its survival in the rural, conservative southwest corner of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains is a true testament to the power of art and writing. Artemis was born from writing workshops for survivors of intimate partner violence in Southwest Virginia and has been a steadfast champion of social justice since 1977.