Each semester, in anticipation for our bi-annual print issues, MUSE sets out on a mission to uncover student stories, wherever we can find them. With each year of print, the pitching process grows increasingly committed to sourcing stories in unexpected avenues and to amplifying a diverse range of voices. With a breath of excitement and a joyful energy, Kat Bojic, this year’s Print Director, has succeeded in this mission, having received a record number of pitches for ISSUE XXVII. Kat explained that having such a wide reach on campus means more voices, and more diverse perspectives. 

A true highlight of the print process is the ladder meeting, where our six editors, Kat, and our EIC, Liz, joined for an hours-long adventure to sift through the received pitches and formulate the issue. Kat recalled the ladder meeting evening as “the first glimpse of what the issue can possibly look like.” The results? In the words of Fashion Editor, Isabella Hamilton, the selected articles are “a manifestation of the most creative and ingenuitive minds at Queen’s.” Alex Stephens, MUSE’ings Editor, seconded that the pieces are a “seamless blend of creativity and reality.” 

ISSUE XXVII will feature MUSE’s first ever creative writing section; while MUSE has featured creative writing in the past, it feels right to dedicate an intentional space to these works, shared Kat. Dalyah Schiarizza, our first ever Creative Writing Editor, is grateful for the “exceptional experience” of working closely with writers to refine their pieces, highlighting how meaningful it was to help pitches grow into “masterpieces.” Readers can expect a mixture of short stories and poetry, all while “adding a little unreal to something very real”, that being the lived experiences of our writers. “Creative writing can be intimate, and reveal how a writer thinks and perceives the world,” Dalyah explained—and if there’s any place on campus to honour these perceptions, it’s MUSE. 

Entertainment Editor, Reagan Feld, and Arts Editor, Carolyn Kane, each echoed Dalyah’s gratitude for being able to work closely with their writers. It is clear how committed this team is to giving space for ideas to flourish. Jillian Morris, Lifestyle Editor, added how working on the issue allowed her to appreciate how “many different ways of the world around us can all be conveyed through some simple pen and paper - or laptop and keyboard.” Having written for both Lifestyle and Fashion for ISSUE XXVII, I can attest that it is the support and passion of these editors that makes this possible, for the worlds of their writers to come to life on paper. 

When asked to summarize this issue’s written content, Kat confidently said that this issue serves to honor “whatever has helped us reconnect with something else.” Dalyah emphasized that ISSUE XXVII “honors where we’ve been and what we’ve felt, while also embracing or bracing for what’s next.” And rest assured, there is “something in it for everyone,” according to Jillian—“the daydreamers, hopeless romantics, trendsetters, social activists, quiet poets, movie connoisseurs, and the heartbroken among us.”

What was your muse while working on ISSUE XXVII?

Kat Bojic, Print Director:

“Something that I noticed at the end of last year was my tendency to write about the same thing all the time. I came into this year really wanting to try something new, and I think we accomplished that in this issue”

Reagan Feld, Entertainment Editor:

“My muse was everyone who is going to be reading this issue. I want the Muse team, and our readers, to be as proud of the new issue as we are.

Carolyn Kane, Arts Editor:

“My muse for practically everything is Alexa Chung. I often ask myself W.W.A.C.D? What would Alexa Chung do?”

Dalyah Schiarizza, Creative Writing Editor:

“My muse was sculpting. In my writing and editing, I saw it as sculpting words and sentences to mold images and memories our readers will hold onto as they read ISSUE XXVII.”

Isabella Hamilton, Fashion Editor:

“Revolutionaries who pushed the boundaries of fashion. Fashion isn’t static, it’s an ever changing industry and my hope is that this fundamental idea is reflected within ISSUE XXVII. From the shirt you borrow from your housemate to wear on a Friday night out, to the long lasting legacy of some of fashion’s most notable names, this small but mighty section has it all.” 

Alex Stephens, MUSE’ings Editor:

“My time in Kingston.”

Jillian Morris, Lifestyle Editor:

“Picture this: big chunky knit sweater, cozy coffee shop, table by the window, and Lana del Ray playing through my headphones.”