Dear beloved readers,
As I am jolted back into the real world from my warm spring break vacation and once again grinding behind a cold espresso bar, I am reminded that great prosperity often requires some sort of sacrifice.
Similarly, for our second issue of the spring semester, our writers have been tasked with pondering the relationship between prosperity and balance: what happens when the scales tip too far? Geovanna Murphy opens our issue with her Spanish-to-English poem, “Lenguas,” inviting readers to partake in both the wealth of knowledge and the struggle of imperfect translation that make up the bilingual experience.
CJ Ackerman-Garvin revisits a piece of poetry from their high school days in “The Crows,” cursing someone who was unable to appreciate the beauty right in front of them. In “I Am Cringe, and I Am Free,” Sydney McClellan uses the results of a survey posted around Charlottesville to encourage us all to embrace our “cringe” interests and passions.
Maxine Prudhomme closes our issue with his short story, “The Garden,” which follows a young girl who looks a little too closely at her church congregation’s supposed source of miracles.
Thank you, Iris writers, artists, editorial team, and Social Media and Communications team for helping put together a fantastic issue. Happy reading!
Lindsey Smith
Editor, Iris Magazine 2025-2026
