Editors' Letter
Dear Reader,
So, it’s September. Somehow. We’ve spent the last 6 months isolating, learning about each other, learning about the world, and learning about ourselves—and now we’re expected to jump right back into action. But how?
This month’s theme is the Swing of Things issue. You hear people say “I’m just trying to get back into the swing of things.” And while I love the theme because it represents everyone’s feelings and fears of this time, it’s sort of misleading. Because we’re not really getting “back into the swing of things.” There isn’t really a swing of things to get back to. There’s a whole new world now, a whole new reality we’re faced with. We’re not going back, we’re moving forward. How to move forward I don’t really know, but if there’s anything I’ve learned in the past 6 months, it’s that sometimes we don’t have to have a plan.
This whole mess was unexpected. Everything about the past 6 months was unexpected. But were things ever as we expected them? Even before the global pandemic? As cliche as it sounds, these past 6 months, I could very simply just exist. I didn’t have to turn a smile on every day, I didn’t have to get dressed and be responsible every day. I just was, and it taught me so much about myself and how our world works. I got so much bad news that I became numb to the cancellations, the postponed events, the life on hold, and I just went with it. I started to just roll with the punches, and as much as all of this sucked, I was just okay with everything. I received what what was given to me, and I started to feel better.
I’m telling you all of this because I don’t think we should get “back into the swing of things.” I think we should jump into a new swing. One where we stop putting pressure on ourselves and our world to be perfect. One where we enjoy each other’s company a bit more. One where we notice the little things that we never noticed before we were locked inside for 6 months. We can never go back to the way things were. But is that such a bad thing?
This month is about creating new realities for ourselves. It’s about making the most of what we have—because although things aren’t seemingly “perfect,” we’re still alive and we still have a lot of beautiful things to appreciate. I’ll be cliche here, but truly, there is so much to be thankful for, and we’ll never move forward if we don’t acknowledge that. The past is gone and all that is ahead is new. New is good.
Vivian Chambers, editor-in-chief
Dear UA reader,
September’s theme is "Swing of Things"— heavily inspired by the bridge of Lorde’s song “Still Sane.” It's about finding your place in the world, or making your own, earning a seat at the table, or starting a new one worth sitting at. It's about our coping mechanisms, capacities for change, and how we fit into the world without being too influenced by it.
I suggested this theme so long ago, and it’s always been in the back of my mind. Pure Heroine was released in 2014, when I was twelve and not old enough to be listening to an album titled after a drug and learning every lyric of songs about teen angst and other facets of youth I knew nothing about. Nonetheless, this album and its sequel, Melodrama, are some of my favorites of all time. And I’m not ashamed to admit I DM Lorde on occasion, waiting for her next portrait of young adulthood.
The idea of change and growth is so pertinent now. So many of us are beginning new stages in our lives. I’m starting my first year of college in just a matter of days. It’s scary and exciting and a lot of emotions at once. So many of you may be beginning college or high school or experiencing some variant of change. On a more macro scale, our entire world is in a state of growth and healing.
Just as this page turns, the bridge of “Still Sane” brings a change of pace for the rest of the song (and if you haven’t listened to it, you have full permission and encouragement to stop reading and go do that right now). The bridge is slower and more meaningful. Lorde sings that she’s “not in the swing of things.” I think that’s something we can all relate to, at any stage in our lives, and now more than ever. It’s that pit of your stomach, chest pain feeling that you’re not quite sure where you want to be. Even more troubling and exhilarating is the thought that you’re not quite who you want to be. But there’s another line in the verse.
“I’m not in the swing of things. But what I mean is I’m not in the swing of things yet.”
The verse plays, and it feels like she’s treading water. Like every moment hurts. Like every step takes strength she doesn’t have or is trying to find. And yet it’s altogether uplifting that the song goes on. It keeps going. She keeps going.
This season of our lives- this time in history- is only one chapter of many. If this chapter has been especially hard for you. You’re not alone. I see you. I get it. You don't have to have it all figured out. You don't have to be in the swing of things just yet.
As always, I'm so looking forward to what you create this month!
Savanna Chada, Managing Editor
Dear UA readers,
I can’t believe that it is already September. Gone are the days of Tiger King, stay at home orders, and uneventful summers. We are slowly (perhaps controversially) returning to normal (as normal as we'll ever be), or as so fittingly goes with this month's theme, getting into the swing of things. Following a month long hiatus (two months for me as I was away working at summer camp), we are finishing up our first ever print issue and returning to our regularly scheduled publishing on the site. Although it looks vastly different for everyone, we are returning to school, going away to college, and growing used to new routines and environments.
This can prove challenging. Personally, moving to college amidst a global pandemic was not what I had envisioned of my freshman year. No one tells you how hard getting into the swing of things truly is. There are plenty of lonely and homesick moments. However, I am a firm believer in finding the positives and growth moments in any situation, and writing has proven to be a great outlet for adapting. I can be overly dramatic (which I tend to be) while celebrating the joy of being alive.
So, this month, everyone is getting into the swing of something new: school, being away from home, or simply getting used to coming out of quarantine, and we know that this can be a complex and emotional time, so we want to invite you to use UA as an outlet to share whatever you’re feeling! Happy, sad, excited, nervous, we want to hear it.
Have a great month,