Madeleine Chan is a queer, non-binary, mixed race, white-passing writer settled on the stolen lands of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ speaking peoples who explores various facets and intersections of media, culture, and identity to make people think, converse, and feel. They like that guttural little “oh” feeling when they read something that resonates with them, and hope to bring the same to others. They believe that stories have the capacity to shift status quos and uproot falsehoods for the better. A featured creator in SAD Mag: Blank Slate and published in Chinatown Stories, Shrapnel Magazine, Shedoesthecity, with multiple pieces on identity in pop culture, Madeleine aims to use writing in various forms to encourage dialogue, greater understanding, and hope. Find them and their work on Instagram @madeleinelyc.
Artist Statement
“Letters I hope to send” is a series of three letters written on nature-themed stationery in green ink with a stylized letter “M” square stamped in blue at the top, each having their own little additions. A cute mushroom sticker and a dirt-laden kiss mark for the lover. Dirty finger prints fresh from the garden for the neighbour. And happy tear drop stains for the friend. Intended to be read in that order, they tell the story of a hypothetical, future me in a hypothetical, idealized, liberated future.
I imagine that I am sitting down to pen these letters all at once after a day outside tending to my garden. My main worries are planning outings with the people I love, if my mint will overtake my garden, and if I have enough food for everyone at the community potluck. I don’t know what the specifics of this future are, whether the world is entirely devoid of capitalism, labour for survival, patriarchy, hetero-monogamous normativity, unjust democratic political structure, or landlords. I just know that writing them is a practice of hope that gets me closer to that possibility, and sending them will be an imagined future of liberation realized.
Reflection and Connection to "Imagination for Liberation"
“Letters I hope to send” speaks to the reflections on dreams/dreaming, interconnectivity, radical self/human love, and nourishing life/communities. The writing itself harkens to these interconnected themes, however the medium of the letter holds equal importance.
Letters may seem simple, but their praxis is radical. Historically, letters were an accessible way for the lower class to communicate and organize. They are now also an intentional, mindful practice of communication, patience, and faith. Knowing the sender touched the paper you hold invites a unique sense of connection. Letters are vessels of love, literally giving you a piece of my mind in the physical form and asking you to hold on to it gently.
In imagining this liberated future through letters, I bring these ideas and feelings of emotional freedom and community care to the present to embrace and use now. For what better time for the future than now?
