Volume 2021

Dearest Reader--
Thank you for picking up this year’s edition of The Echo! When I first learned I was to be chief editor during a pandemic, I knew that creating The Echo was going to be a challenge. The 2020-2021 school year will certainly live on in our minds long after we ditch the masks and the hand sanitizer, but hopefully The Echo will serve as a reminder that the creative spirit continues to endure, even in bleak times.

One of the most valuable lessons I learned while trying to put this thing together was that I would not have been able to do it alone. I owe a huge thank you to Ian McPherson, my valiant assistant editor-in-chief who fearlessly put up with my technological shortcomings--a flaw that I was unaware of until the pandemic. Ian is incredibly talented (and incredibly patient), and our meetings always brightened my day.

I also want to thank my editorial board for all their hard work. I wish that we’d been able to meet in person, and hopefully some of us will stick around to make that a reality next semester. Working in an entirely virtual setting is lonely, and I think I can speak for many of us when I say that the pandemic has given me a deeper appreciation for human interaction.

Lastly, I want to give a (literary) shout-out to everyone who submitted to The Echo. Even if we were unable to include your piece this year, I truly hope that you will continue to create and submit in the future. An artist is not necessarily defined by their success, but by how much effort they put into what they love.

So, without further ado, welcome to the 2021 edition of The Echo.