Letter From the Editor(s)

Dear Reader,

We are so thrilled that you have found these pages again, and after a rough transition into this 2022-2023 academic year, we couldn’t be prouder to present them to you. In early September, Fools experienced a bit of an identity crisis, and we had to build our team up from the ground again. There were many moments when we questioned the future of Fools, but thanks to the dedicated creatives of our University of Iowa community, we were able to persevere through the late nights, frantic emails, Zoom calls, and other obstacles we encountered along the way. As we remembered Fools’ mission to curate an honest narrative of our little sector of the universe, we asked ourselves what it meant to be an authentic publication. And this semester, we decided to be honest with ourselves and take baby steps in the rebirth of Fools. While we work diligently back towards the main print issues we all know and love, in the meantime, we offer you an online issue of Foolish to show that we are still here and vibrant as ever.

So we find each other now in the midst of a cold Iowa winter, reaching for connection. In this issue, our contributors delve into the raw, honest truths of their own lives. Whether it be rainbows or ghosts, our desires or fears, this issue doesn’t hold back from the complicated realities which make us human. Our featured writers once again converse with the talented array of visual artists who encompass these pages, some of whom are on the Fools team. Here is a surreal world in which we fall apart and touch the moon, in which angels and enemies coexist, often within the same body. Here is a surreal world we invite you to enter for a while.

We are indebted to our visual and writing teams who wrestled with these vast themes in order to produce an issue which beautifully reflects the times we live in. This is our third year producing Fools during a global pandemic, and while we have adapted in many ways to our new normal, there are still instances when we ache for our old selves and the innocence of another time. In fraught moments such as these, we rely upon the contemplation of creative minds to guide us back home to ourselves and each other. To warm us in what feels like a never- ending winter. While we may never go back to the life we once had, we hope that wherever you find us, you’ll breathe a little easier. When next we meet again, let it be spring.

With love,
Aspen and Marriah