Oh, endings. They are always wished for, but when they really arrive, they hurt. It’s like rushing to finish a TV series or a long novel — when it’s over, we feel empty inside. That thing I just finished, we say to the credits or the closed book, that was my whole life! Now what?
Luckily for us, it is only one season of LQ that is ending: stay tuned for the sequel. But, boy, has it been an interesting one. This year, we stayed in our pajamas for four days straight and read the news in existential dread. We witnessed the world crumble. And we went on producing our little magazine; we went on reading poems. We went on doing what we could do.
Despite the insanity of running a lit mag remotely, being a part of LQ has undoubtedly been the highlight of the year. Everything, from hallucinatory Zoom meetings during midterm season to mailing out copies from our home “office,” from staff study sessions to collaborating with artists, has shown us all that art will persist. And that has been a wonderful thing. It’s what’s gotten me through, at least.
Surely I am beginning to sound repetitive with my thanks — I promise this will be the last of it. Thank you to the 2020-21 LQ staff for your hard work reading and editing every damn week. Thank you Malia, Lily Z., and Angela for your incredible leadership and spirit (every damn week, and more). And thank you to each of our contributors for your amazing art. It has been a privilege reading your work.
Finally, I am beyond excited to pass on this magazine to next year’s Editors in Chief, Angela and Jordan. Congratulations to you and the rest of the 2021-22 leadership board — Lucy, Callum, Adriana, Kavya, Kyla, Lily Z., and Elizabeth — you’re going to crush it!
And, now what? Now, I will close InDesign and Google Sheets and go lie down. For a long time. Enjoy the issue, and see you in September.
