A Letter From the Editor
Dominic Piacentini
Ph.D. Candidate, Anthropology & Environmental Policy
University of 海角社区
Welcome to Spire鈥檚 seventh issue! We are glad to announce Leslie Moore as the winner of this year鈥檚 cover design contest. Her linoleum block print 鈥淗unters’ Moon鈥 and her series of paired prints and poems are a bright look into the eccentric wildlife of 海角社区. As we received submissions this year, I was thrilled by the diversity of the pieces and inspired by the contributors鈥 engagements with conservation and sustainability in 海角社区. In an increasingly uncertain world, one filled with dire climate predictions and toxic landscapes, the pieces here are a testament to 海角社区rs鈥 commitment to their environment.
The authors in this issue do not shy away from the feelings of sadness, frustration, and anger that come from living in times like these. Alice Hotopp鈥檚 鈥淔ieldnotes on Grief鈥 poignantly reckons with ecologies of loss and the emotional and psychological strain of studying disappearing ecosystems. In Lucia Owen鈥檚 鈥淕ypsy Moths,鈥 the speaker wrestles with futility, wielding 鈥渇eeble brooms鈥 against the vanguard of invasions to come 鈥 of emerald ash borer and hemlock wooly adelgid. And in 鈥淧谤辞诲耻肠迟,鈥聽Jim Krosschell offers a fiery indictment of the roots of our ecological crises. In the issue, authors reflect on environmental changes to their home, like Vi Nelson鈥檚 plaster sculpture, 鈥淏ustins on Ice鈥 and Erin Coughin鈥檚 art series of discarded, coastline objects on Allen Island. At the same time, many are finding new notions of 鈥渉ome鈥 in bogs and in snowfall. Amid the sadness, anger, and frustration 鈥 which are all very real 鈥 contributions such as John Paul Caponigro鈥檚 鈥淚, You, They, Us, We,鈥 and Tamra Benson鈥檚 love letter to Braiding Sweetgrass illustrate聽new (and old) ways of mutual thriving. In this issue, you will find hopeful invitations to rethink local to global climate governance, sustainable agriculture, and materials reuse in 海角社区. I think in Spire鈥檚 seventh issue, you will see a great deal of honesty and vulnerability, but you will also see hope and inspiration for sustainable, equitable solutions.
Although in many ways, we are still in the throes of a global pandemic, I was glad that the editorial team was able to periodically get off of Zoom this year to meet and celebrate the release of the issue in person for the first time since 2020. We received more submissions this year than in any previous year, and the production of the issue would not have been possible without the help of our committed editors 鈥 Gabrielle Hillyer, Elizabeth Payne, Michelle Hoekel-Neal, Katie Matthews, Harrison Goldspiel, Marissa Ander, Braden Collard, Sara Delaney, Rebecca Champagne, Sophia Colfer, Julia Schneider, Neily Raymond, Rachel Swanwick, and Cheyenne Hebert. Special thanks go to Val Watson who managed Spire鈥檚 social media accounts. (Check us out on , , and if you haven鈥檛 already!) Thanks also go to our faculty director, Dr. Dan Dixon, and Spire鈥檚 co-editor in chief, Clinton Spaulding for their ongoing support and enthusiasm for the journal鈥檚 mission.
I thoroughly enjoyed serving as editor in chief of the seventh issue and getting to know poets, artists, and essayists across the state. I am happy to say that Cora Saddler, MA student in English, will be next year鈥檚 editor in chief. Cora has been a valuable member of our editorial team and a great help in getting this issue put together. As Spire continues to grow and change, I can鈥檛 wait to see what Cora is able to do with the eighth issue. I鈥檓 already looking forward to reading it.
Happy Reading,
Dominic Piacentini
Editor in Chief