Winter / Spring 2019

Letter From the Editor

Dear Reader,

The pieces of scholarship and creative work you’ll encounter within these pages reveal an astounding year of fine writing and intellectual thought from our MALS Community. We wish to note that the compilation of this work would not be possible without those who submitted their original pieces and without the effort of our entire editorial staff. We thank you all.

The connective thread of world examining weaves through this year’s collection. Whether it’s fine art, poetry, fiction, or personal essay that meditates on the way the natural world shapes us, or theoretical and critical academic work that examines why the world does the things—good and bad—that it does, or the pieces of writing that force us to examine our inner worlds, or stellar photography that allows us to explore the out-of-this-world, we recognize with awe its diligent pursuit for truth.

Within this issue, we say farewell to two much-beloved MALS Professors, Professor Gary Lenhart and Professor Christopher Wren, with profiles written by their students that reveal the deep love and respect our community has for these two leaders. Additionally, we are excited to include an alumni interview with author Marin Sardy about the true gift of interdisciplinary study and her experience in navigating the book publishing world.

Looking to the future of Clamantis: The MALS Journal, there are exciting changes in progress. In order to utilize our digital platform and strengthen our online presence, we’ve now begun accepting and publishing pieces throughout the year. We established an e-newsletter which shares our digitally published work and Clamantis news with the MALS Community. And, we recently became a Guarini Student Council recognized organization, which will allow us to expand our readership base and feature liberal arts work from throughout the Guarini community.

Clamantis would not be possible without the MALS Program’s consistent and loyal support, nor the continued advice, leadership, and constant championing of the journal as a MALS student-run publication by our Faculty Advisor, Professor Anna Minardi.

We hope you enjoy the work captured in the following pages. We relish in the accomplishments of this year’s MALS program as we look forward to the year to come, and the work to follow.

Sabine Hoskinson