Letter from the Editors

Our Spring 2023 issue consists of work from talented writers and artists drawn from a smaller submission pool than usual, but still highly competitive in its creative choices and adventurous content. Within days of dispensing the Fall issue on racks across campus, there were few left to find, if only the ones misplaced on a stray library chair from reading or tucked in the elbow of someone passing on campus. Whether you read this issue digitally or in print, we hope that you take more than just a copy, but also the musings and questions our writers and artists have so intimately woven into their work.

We are always impressed with the range of diversity and style Spires submissions achieve, and this semester we are particularly excited to publish a piece satirizing our own university. The foray into comedy has been bold but small in former submission pools. This semester our editorial staff pounced on the opportunity to publish finely-tuned humor alongside unique poetry, like a self-interview, and meta prose in which identity is contemplated through a horse.

This issue excels in large part due to its artwork, and we are grateful our artists let Spires curate this rich gallery. The attention to detail and conceptual innovation present in this round of submissions made the selection process lively, contentious, and overall, a great time. As an editor, there’s nothing better than hearing staff fight over too many good pieces.

On that note, we’d like to thank our excellent editorial staff—for showing up, bringing excitement and joy to our weekly meetings, and pushing us as editors to keep our magazine fresh. Our staff members pursued the highest quality of submissions this semester, promoting the magazine to friends, classmates, and social media followers. It’s been incredible to watch our newest members learn and grow from the expertise and camaraderie of our veteran staff, and we know we are leaving the magazine in great hands.

The three of us have enjoyed leading the magazine over the past two issues and have cherished our time working with the rest of Spires’ staff throughout our undergraduate experience. In the coming year, associate editors Alexis Bentz and Lara Briggs will take over as editors-in-chief of Spires. They have shown incredible dedication to the magazine and staff, and we have no doubt they will show great leadership in composing future issues.

And finally, a huge thank you to you, our readers. We appreciate every online view and every copy picked up from campus newsstands, whether you’re in for a critical reading or a cursory flip. Spires wouldn’t exist without you.

Sincerely,

Anna Bankston, Amy Hattori, and Hanah Shields Editors-in-Chief