Dear Readers,
I recently started writing poetry again. If you’re an avid post- reader, you may have read one of my pieces last year. However, after being interrogated by my Pre-College residents this summer about the poem, I decided to clean up my digital footprint and republish it under a pseudonym. This got me thinking about what it means to invent and reinvent a persona. I think about the molts of personality I’ve shedded following large transitions in life. A more subdued version of me decomposes in Northwest Indiana, and I ponder what layer I’ll leave behind in Providence. Considering I also registered for the MCAT this weekend, I don’t think this poem was the only thing fueling this introspection.
Our writers this week have also been pondering portrayal. In Feature, Samira discusses the tensions between Western and non-Western perspectives on arranged marriages. On the Narrative side, Sarah talks about collecting postcards and speculating about the lives of those sending and receiving them, and the managing editors venture slightly into my territory of A&C to write about our experiences watching films. In A&C proper, Ann talks about her joy and anger in playing the Roblox game Dress to Impress, while Ozzy recounts a notable Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performance. In Lifestyle, Michelle reflects on the progression of her New Year's resolutions, Reina talks about Providence winters through the perspective of someone from the west coast, and AJ created an Oscar-themed crossword. In post-pourri, Tarini shares a love letter to her fairy lights that keep falling down, no matter how they’re secured.
As I combed through the recently posted courses on CAB, I was hit with the realization this will be my last time procrastinating work by contemplating courses more than six months away. I can only hope to earn a spot in Advanced Poetry. Unfortunately, I do not think I will include my aforementioned post- poem in my sample submission. Instead, I will use my MCAT-fueled identity crisis to peel back layers with greater efficiency than one of those chemical foot peels.
Peeling away,
Elijah Puente
A&C Managing Editor
