Letter from the Editors
words by Diana Zhang and Jenny Vu
Dear Beloved Readers,
Welcome to the first Issue of Volume V!
As the school year starts, we want to reflect on the meaning of “new”, or in French, Nouvelle. We, as a magazine, pose a question: Is something new completely unfamiliar, or does it attach to some certainty in our lives?
Our staff writers and artists tried to answer this with their lens showing the conflicts of the past and the future. Saanvi Sadu’s “Nouvelle Vague” describes a desperation for something pristine in growing pains, paired with Claire Zhang’s art of the shepherd protecting the young and old. Zoha Suteria’s “Untethered” tears us between residing in the familiarity, or grieving the loss of what once was. Jason Chen’s traditional art perfectly embodies the sentiment through a duck that ponders into the unknown. While the prior staff members want to shed the skin of the past, Jasmine Palomino’s “Mutated Paper Cranes” remind us that the past might stick with you permanently, like muscle memory. Artist Riese Carlson follow’s Jasmine’s direction and inspires us to embrace our younger selves, much like a looking glass.
Our staff also explored the theme through abstract and physical human experiences. Evan Thorn’s fiction story “Pieces” explores the philosophical concept of “soul donations”, and finding the constructs that change us. Mia Kang’s pencils bring this fiction to life through a face that hauntingly morphs into others. Namira Rubaiyath’s “How to Human”, however, takes us through the anatomy of experiences that make us who we are. Elle Janchivdorj’s “Piercings” grounds us with tender sensations, showing us a new and raw human experience, paired with Sarah Jun’s intricate stop motion. Ananya Sairaman completes the puzzle with a digital art of the vulnerable human form in the night, yearning for the daylight.
Finally, our staff uses non-human forms to convey the relationship between changes and renewal. Ben Chu’s "Theseus" transforms the familiar paradox into blackout poetry that describe the exhaustion in changes. The same exhaustion that sits on the face amassing repairs in Eileen Nguyen’s art. Agnes Cho’s "Metamorphosis" tells the life of a caterpillar, and that our newly healed wounds mark our beginnings.
We implore you to reflect on what “Nouvelle” means to you, as you read through the amazing work finished in the past month by our staff.
With much appreciation,
Diana Zhang and Jenny Vu
