The tagline for Issue 25 is telling: “Where the boundary dissolves.” Across nine thematic sections, the contributors wrestle with the dissolution of borders—between land and water, public and private, analog and digital, sanity and delirium. Unlike previous volumes that often felt like academic conference proceedings, Ls Land Issue 25 prioritizes narrative dissonance. Here are the three dominant threads running through the issue:

Does the issue have flaws? Certainly. The maritime metaphors become exhausting by page 200. The QR code gimmick adds little. But when it works—in the flooded prose of Caine, the devastating honesty of the squatter’s diary, the playful tyranny of the fold-out map— achieves what few journals even attempt: it changes how you see the ground beneath your feet.

For the uninitiated, start elsewhere (Issue 19’s “Ruins and Remediation” is a better entry point). For the faithful, this is a necessary, if occasionally infuriating, addition to the canon. And for the curious? Find a copy before the 1,500 disappear into private collections and library reserves. The boundary is dissolving, and Issue 25 is the best map we have. If you enjoyed this analysis, explore our breakdown of Ls Land Issue 24 (Infrastructure) and an interview with founding editor Mara K. on the future of land-based publishing.