Dear reader,

When we sat down to brainstorm themes for this magazine, fluidity came to us naturally. Maybe it’s because the past two years have been a tumultuous time, and we’ve felt a stagnation—a drought, if you will. Or maybe it’s because we’re university students and are familiar with the ebbs and flows of navigating our lives, both on and off campus. 

We are in a period of our lives where we’re constantly reflecting—whether we want to or not—on our past choices, how they’ve shaped our present, and more importantly, how we want to move forward. Where are we going? What difference do we want to make, if any? How do we fit into the world around us, which is changing so constantly? Our sense of self and collective identities are fluid; it can be hard to recognise ourselves from one moment to the next, let alone recognise those we surround ourselves with. 

Our Fall magazine reflects our contributors’ attempts to ask and answer these complex questions. We have multiple considerations on family: those found and those we’re born with, how they shape our lives, and how we shape theirs. You’ll hear reflections on societal and personal struggles, including literacy, neurodivergence, deconstructing the (academic) narrative we may have created for ourselves, and how sometimes we might feel like we’re drowning. 

Creating this magazine would not have been possible without the help of our Features Editor, Sam Rosati Martin, our Co-Poetry Editors, Ishika Rishi and Emma MacKenzie, our Photo Editor, Kelsey Phung, and our Co-Art Editors, Shelley Yao and Seavey van Walsum. Thank you for making this process supportive and collaborative, for being adaptable in moments when we hit rough waters, and for allowing us to pour our ideas into a shared pond. 

We hope the pages of the magazine leave you paused, speechless, and hovering in moments of fluid introspection and emotion. Don’t forget to take a deep breath before you dive in. 

With ever-flowing love,

Janna and Rion
Editors-in-Chief