Dream or dreams, dreamers or dreaming? We had an intense discussion at Popshot Towers about what this issue should be called. Such is life at a magazine.

We agreed on dream, thinking it could also refer to an ideal situation. It would be our dream issue. With our dream contents. And our dream design. We welcomed pieces, we said, depicting your nocturnal imaginings and your daydreams about your own life or the big picture. Would anyone grapple with a story of an American Dreamer?

Most submissions, it turned out, played with the fantastical world of the first idea, which led us to another discussion. Was this a reflection on society – that it is more important for us to sort out what’s going on in our heads than to go all Martin Luther King – or is it just more natural for writers to turn inwards? Musings to hello@popshotpopshot.com

The Dream Issue includes a thriller set in the Deep South, a chilling story about a man who can sense only his right side and, curiously, several molluscs. Our featured story, We Missed Flying the Most is by Lydia Ruffles, whose new novel, Colour Me In, is out on August 9.

Our sending-you-good-vibes cover is by Vector That Fox. Pink otters on candy floss clouds – it’s what we all dream about, right? And what they no doubt dream about, too.

Our dream, of course, is for you to all subscribe so that we can grow the Popshot community and share more stories and poems. You can sign up through our website. More immediately, we hope you enjoy the issue as much as us, if not even more.

Words by Sandra Arnold, Alice Ash, Claire Booker, Rachel Bower, Jo Brandon, Helen Cox, Clive Culverhouse, Leslie Dianne, Michelle Marie Earl, Joe Giordano, Alice Harrison, Sophie Hartl, James Hatton, Jenny Holden, Sef Hughes, Audrey Molloy, Ben Norris, Helen Rear, John Reinhart, David Romanda, Lydia Ruffles, Emma Tilly, Jeremy Adam Smith, Jack Somers, Lauren Vevers, Liedewij Vogelzang.

Illustrations by Adamastor Studio, Andrew Bastow, Matthew Brazier, Charlie Davis, Will Drayson, Paulina Eichhorn, James Fenwick, Cat Finnie, Stefan Große Halbuer, Ollie Hoff, Ruth Kingsbury, Joanna Layla, Alice Mollon, Rachel Joy Price, Elisa Puglielli, Renzo Razzetto, So Santos, Alexandru Savescu, Kyle Scott, Josep Serra and Vector That Fox.

To ensure that you never miss a future issue of the print magazine, subscribe from just £24 for 4 issues.