Dear Reader,

The above words were penned by Warsan Shire, an activist and writer who was named the first Young Poet Laureate of London. The excerpt is taken from the second half of her poem, “What They Did Yesterday Afternoon,” which she wrote in the aftermath of the Paris attacks in November 2015. These words were shared widely across blogs and social media, offering solace in the face of a terrible tragedy.

In 2024, we are not strangers to catastrophe. Reports of another mass shooting each week, lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, wars, and climate disasters continue to devastate, and it would be remiss to omit the violence, genocide, and food insecurity happening around the world. These tragedies are horrendous, but they are not new. The truth is, you could replace the year ‘2024’ with any other year, and that first sentence would still ring true. We are not strangers to catastrophe.

To say the least, we are in need of restoration. As you read this collection, I hope you will find what you need in this season, whether that be taking solace in these poems or being challenged by what you read in these essays. The writers and artists who have contributed to this issue will share their stories, the places they’ve gone to and left from, the things they’ve learned in new spaces, and the experiences of both joy and pain that mark our time on Earth. There is “a season for every activity under the heavens… a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance…” (Ecclesiastes 1).

Happy reading,

Bella McDonald ’24

Editor-in-chief