Dear beloved readers,
One of my favorite parts of the human experience is getting to hear all about the things the people I care about love. Or, hearing about the things they are currently working on or the things that are driving them crazy—I truly consider any insight into what exactly is occupying space in my loved ones’ minds a privilege, earned only through trust and a strong sense of security.
And the love I have for this team is enormous! I am so appreciative of Iris’s amazing writers, who have been working so diligently and have kept up such amazing energy, even while balancing midterms, spring break plans, and obligations for their other extracurricular and academic commitments. As an attempt to give them some reprieve from their increasingly stressful schedules, for this publication cycle, we invited our team to write whatever was most pressing on their minds—to write a piece on the topic where, if prompted to tell someone all about it, their first reaction would be an enthusiastic, “I’m glad you asked!”
Emily Frost opens this issue with her piece, “A Short List of Things Giving Me Hope,” practicing finding small bits of joy in an increasingly dreary world and encouraging readers to do the same. If any readers have been searching for new song recommendations, CJ Ackerman-Garvin shares their incredible taste in music in “Albums That Could Resurrect Me From the Dead.”
In “Book Chem: A Non-Exhaustive List of Books I Think My Nerdy Friends Would Like,” Geovanna Murphy reflects on the desire shared by her medical-field-bound friends to read more for pleasure and crafts a list of future reads for their newly formed book club. Maxine Prudhomme closes this issue with his short story, “The World Ends Tonight,” tying together a series of vignettes about the lives of ordinary people in the hours leading up to the end of the world.
As always, a huge thank you to Mary, Simone, writers, artists, and the Social Media and Communications Team.
Happy Reading!
Lindsey Smith
Editor, Iris Magazine 2025-2026
