Lina Levein

One of my favorite things in the world is flipping through old photo albums at my grandmother’s house in Bulgaria. They’re filled with moments of ordinariness, like my mom hanging laundry on the line while heavily pregnant with my brother, my grandfather roasting a lamb on a spit in the garden; and me and my cousins, sticky-faced, devouring watermelon on the stoop. These images capture the rawness of everyday life, and they’re unexpectedly beautiful. 

In Bulgarian, кeф (pronounced kehf) is a feeling of joy, ease, and presence. The word itself is always a bit difficult to explain because English doesn’t have a true equivalent. It’s a kind of everyday aliveness and a pleasure rooted in simplicity, in being where you are and letting that be enough.

I grew up between Bulgaria and the U.S., and every time I returned to the States after a summer abroad, I felt the shift immediately. Life there was louder and everyone was constantly in motion, chasing goals, filling their calendars. There was a kind of pride in being emotionally exhausted. In Bulgaria, though, there’s always been room left for кeф. It’s something essential which is naturally woven into the rhythm of daily life. From a young age, this mindset shaped me. I learned to pay attention, to find meaning in moments others might miss. That way of seeing the world is at the heart of this magazine.

КЕФ is a space to slow down, to reconnect with your body and mind, and to ask what really matters to you. In a world that rewards constant doing, this is a place for simply just being.

We waste so much of our lives on things that don’t bring us closer to ourselves. We chase ideas of success, follow paths we didn’t choose, and confuse busyness with purpose. One day, we’ll wake up and realize what we’ve missed, but we won’t ever get that time back. That’s why we have to be awake now. We have to live now. 

This first issue brings together voices across generations, body types, cultures, and neurodiverse experiences because there’s no single way to feel joy. Pleasure should be personal, accessible, and expansive. It’s something we all deserve.