Dear Readers, 

Today I went to the ERC, one of my favorite places to work. I didn’t text anyone that I was going to be there, I didn’t check any of my friends’ locations, I just showed up. One of the biggest joys at Brown is being in such close proximity to the people I love—getting to run into them serendipitously. Walking into the Ratty as a sophomore and recognizing three tables of friends. Stopping a friend on the sidewalk to hear about their spring break. Catching a friend on a picnic blanket on the Main Green. The ERC is one of the absolute best places to maximize these run-ins. Today, as I sat with my laptop open at the ERC, I barely glanced at it, people watching instead, running into friends upon friends. 

Our writers, too, are looking for meaning and order in serendipitous places. In Feature, Michelle explores our need for symmetry and order in our homes and bodies, in our lives. In Narrative, Nina reflects on the natural order of the food chain and life cycle, a reckoning brought on by the loss of her cat. In A&C, Ozzy reassures the main character of the movie *Dìdi* that things do get better, despite the difficulties of being 13. Ellie, too, is searching for meaning and order, looking toward Japanese principles for building a contented life. In Lifestyle, Gabi reflects on restlessness and not being able to drift as easily toward sleep as she once could. In post-pourri, Rchin ponders where creativity lives in the face of AI art. Finally, don’t forget Lily’s basketball-themed crossword, you may shoot a 3-pointer!

The serendipity I find at the ERC is how I feel about post- too: getting to open the prod sheet and recognizing our writers’ and illustrators’ names, knowing this week will have a sentimental piece by Katherine or a colorful collage by Angelina. In the face of graduating, I can already feel the familiarity fading. The odds are good that if I walk into the ERC a year from now, I won’t recognize anyone. The tables of laughing, barely-working underclassmen won’t include a seat pulled up for me. Some Wednesday night soon, I’ll refresh the post- website to a sea of articles by unfamiliar authors, not knowing who favors an em dash and which author prefers semicolons. I know one day, the distance will hurt, but now, I’m so grateful for the magic of these spaces—the ERC, the cramped office at 88 Benevolent Street, the Main Green—that I just feel lucky to be one of the names and faces who has cycled through. With a few weeks left in the semester, I’m feeling generous enough to be so excited for the next set of people who get to sip on a vanilla matcha, who get to laugh themselves silly over a top 10. 

Experiencing future nostalgia,
Klara Davidson-Schmich
Feature Managing Editor