Editor's Note

The Fall 2021 semester is historic for two reasons. First, it marks the first semester back in person after over a year of online instruction due to the Covid-19 pandemic. While most of us were ready to be back in person, the transition was far from easy. Between just getting used to being back on campus, shifting our schedules to allow for travel time between locations, and adjusting to All Modes Learning, Fall 2021 was a whirlwind. Yet, despite that (or maybe because of that), the literary magazine reached a historic milestone this semester. Fall 2021 marked a semester when Quiddity received the most submissions in our history as a literary magazine. 

The editors and staff of Quiddity are always trying to think of new ways to reach out to Arcadia’s student body and make sure our presence is known on campus. I can’t think of anything we did notably different this semester, which means our record-breaking submission number has less to do with us and more to do with the incredible writers present on our campus. We are incredibly grateful to all of you for allowing us to read your work this semester; we hope you will all continue to share your work with us going forward.

Since we pushed back the release of Issue #12 thanks to the incredible amount of submissions we received, I was able to sit with these pieces longer than ever before. Instead of reading 30 poems in a row, I read maybe five at a time and sat with each one for a while before noting my thoughts. It was a super rewarding experience, and I thank each and every one of you who submitted for pushing us to change our plan like that. You’ve all helped my dreams come true as an editor for our lovely little literary magazine here.

Here we are, though, with the release of the long-awaited Issue #12. I can barely contain myself when I say this has become one of my favorite issues that I have ever worked on. There always seems to be a “vibe” of the submissions we receive and the selected ones among them. As Michaela noted in the last issue, we had quite a few pieces revolving around heartbreak and turmoil. However, this time, I think there are so many different vibes that I don’t know where to begin! There are some horror pieces (which, as a long-time fan of horror, make me very happy), thrilling fiction complete with all of the entrails we’d ever want to read about, some beautiful scenes painted by fantastic poets, and so much more. 

We all hope you enjoy this issue as much as we did. Thank you again for your endless support, love, and of course, your thoughts. We could not do any of this without all of you.

Have a great Spring, Arcadia!

- Sierra, Ryan, and the Quiddity Staff