Dear Reader, 

​

As I write this, I am scrolling through my social media. It is bombarded by an array of messages about a leaked Supreme Court decision. It appears like the court will strike down Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that protects our right to control our own bodies. It is a scary thing to think that a group of people you did not vote for can take away the thing that most fundamentally seems to be yours. Filled with anger, I, like many others, am pouring myself into my work. But make no mistake–– this work we produce in our academic courses is no escapism from our real world troubles. Our work is transformative. It transforms our anger into empathy for others. The willingness to understand, to learn how to understand how we can neutralize and repair harm is the most valuable work we can do. We write with anger and empathy all at once. 

​

In this issue, we challenge the American public’s complacency with mass incarceration and trace to an effort to evoke empathy for the incarcerated through prison writing. We problematize how American philosophers envision the individual versus the community. We analyze competing methods for effective environmental policy. We go back in time to Early Medieval England and witness the magical charms of old English illuminating the progress of Christian conversion and follow the literary portrayal of medieval women. We envision poetry as an escape from capitalism. 

 

As always, the greatest of thank yous to our dear writers.

 

–Elise and Luna