Producing an issue of The Philomathesian is always an adventure. At the beginning of the semester, we had no computer and approximately two staff members currently residing in the 27106 zip code (more on that later). With the aid of the diligent Stephen Shepherd and Dr. Mary Gerardy of the Media Board, we rectified the first situation and can now claim to be the proud owners of a Mac Mini and Adobe software suite. These technological tools aided us greatly in our quest to disseminate the best of what Wake Forest has to offer intellectually, and we are very grateful for the money allotted us by the Media Board. What has truly made the process of soliciting, culling, editing, and packaging submissions into a neat magazine run smoothly, is the assistance we received from two new additions to the editorial staff, Caroline Edgeton and Anna Willis, and many professors’ work on our behalf, hounding (or coaxing, depending on how you look at it) their students to send us their work. Choosing the best pieces was not a simple task. There were disagreements among the editorial staff over what submissions deserved publication, a testament to the quality of writing we read. In the end, our goal is to make public the fruits of long hours spent toiling at the computer by our fellow students. While the self-actualization or personal epiphanies that come from writing are valuable, writing is more powerful shared than when tucked into the back corner of a desk drawer. Once released, it inspires others in proactive and unanticipated ways. We hope that the students who sent us their work, who were emboldened to make public the results of their intellectual journeys, continue to connect with others through writing. The culture of reading and the art of writing are under attack. Americans
R. Hunter Bratton | are addicted to short bursts of information and are increasingly unwilling to read anything longer than a few sentences. It’s rare for people to produce a paragraph that isn’t a shameless paean to vanity for Twitter or Facebook. To act as a citizen in a culture driven by sound bites and easy access to opinion, be it based on fact or not, requires that one zealously defend the validity and the necessity of the carefully-written word. With great joy, The Philomathesian plays a small part in this defense by bringing to light the brave thinking of Wake Forest students.
We couldn’t do it without the indefatigable Haowei Claire Tong, who, while working 80 hour weeks on political campaigns in Arizona and Pennsylvania, still prodded us to churn out the magazine and who took dozens of lovely photos, two of which we have chosen for the covers. Nor could we present this issue without the lightning-fast printing of Sir Speedy of Winston-Salem. A hearty thank you to Brie Presnell!
Our warmest regards go to our faculty advisers, Dr. Susan Boyle, Dr. Ken Zick, Dr. Perry Patterson, and Dr. Ed Wilson. With ideas and support, you continue to inspire us. To all the students whose work we poured over; to Carleigh Morgan and Hillary Taylor, whose work will be published on our website (www.groups.wfu.edu/philo/); and to those students whose work is presented in the following pages, Elaine Shing, Bo-Shan Xiang, David Tokarz, and Teddy Aronson, thank you for allowing us to participate in your intellectual journeys.
And to the readers, thank you. Whether driven to read Shakespeare or Schopenhauer, Darwin or DuBois, please stay engaged with The Philomathesian and greater community: read future editions, submit your works, and do good in the world.
Madeline Eckenrode
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