the effects of distance: a series of love letters — Sydney Muench

the effects of distance: a series of love letters

Sydney Muench

Editor’s Choice

When I lay down on my mattress to fall asleep, I will spend hours just rolling in bed thinking about how much I miss your body next to me. I yearn for your soft, warm lips on mine. Once I am done reminiscing about how beautiful life was with you, I begin to dream about how beautiful life would be with you here.

--- i miss you

I love that you make me feel, because for so long I have been scared that I could not feel anything, and that something was wrong with me. But I know that is not true, because this intense longing and desire for everything that is you proves otherwise.

--- everything that is you So innocent and complex. bringing light to a dark place. Wow. You are like the moon— making me feel seen and giving me light.

--- the moon

I know that the future is uncertain and forever changing. I know that life does not always go the way I think it will. Even so, despite that knowledge, I know that I will never stop loving you. I love you.

--- growing apart

Bios

Hope Alex is probably reminiscing about the past while drinking a chai from The Dav.

Rhys Allison is a grad student studying philosophy and social policy at AU. They enjoy tea, their cat, and bubble tea.

Liah Argiropoulos is a sentimental feminist who likes to write about basketball in a way that makes men mad. She would probably drop everything if given the opportunity to become an NBA wife.

Emily Bass is from Coast Salish and Duwamish lands out in the Pacific Northwest and is an avid lover of the outdoors and all of its endless wonders. To see more of her work check out @afishoutofwater.photo on Instagram!

Vishwa Bhatt always has too much coffee, not enough pancakes in her system (blink if you get the reference).

Ronaldo Bolanos is a photographer based out of Dallas,Texas, focusing mainly on portraiture and life photography.

Casey McKenna misses going for drives with her dog, who has excellent music taste.

Grace Collins is having an existential crisis.

Emily Coneybeare is a triple virgo with five virgo placements and it shows.

Gracie Donovan is currently trying to stop her cat from scratching a chair.

TreVaughn Ellis is an aspiring scientist and artist who also happens to really really like frogs. Like a lot. But who can blame him they are by definition the coolest amphibian that nature has dropped so far. Noah Fischer is an AU sophomore and misses driving, yet does not want to get on the road with DC drivers.

Natalie Flynn is a 5’3’’ tenor sax player who owns half the rainbow in Converse high tops.

Daniel Frias’s friends call their sleeping and eating schedule “atrocious” and “not fit for a human being,” but Dan prefers to call it “diverse and interesting” instead.

Abby Grifno is busy still celebrating Halloween.

Piper Hamm not only loves art, but is art herself.

Grace Hasson is a senior at AU, the author of Into the Orange Grove, and a lover of words.

Ashley Hocking is sometimes a writer, sometimes a painter. Mostly a hippie..

Jamie Klinger is a freshman at American University. She has previously been featured in The American Library of Poetry, jGirls Magazine, and the New York Times.

Ray Koffink is an absolutely flaming homosexual with a penchant for enamel pins and Oscar Wilde’s wooden toggle vests.

Callie Lau is a lost continent in your mind. Her works are visual and linguistic maps to her consciousness; she waves hi to you through this magazine. :)

The old Trevor Luciani can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Oh... ‘cause he’s graduating Fall 2021.

In 2001, Lindsey McCormack might’ve absorbed her twin in the womb. She is now a second year film major.

Katie Meyerson experienced some really interesting character development in the past few months.

Lauren Mitchell is Mr. Worldwide’s biggest fan!

Sydney Muench unapologetically loves watching rom coms. Annika Rennaker is a Sophomore at SIS who just finished watching Derry Girls for the tenth time and encourages you all to do the same.

Max Robins is a senior at American. He wishes he spent less time studying and more time writing bios.

Riddhi Setty asked Rick Riordan a question he had never been asked before. She thinks that this will be her legacy.

Hannah Sjovold is just along for the ride and is super proud of this year’s lit mag and everyone who made it come to life. :)

Syd Smith is the inhabitant of a haunted Renaissance painting.

Lily Song will probably be found listening to Mitski and thinking about food.

Eva Wallis can’t come up with a bio and is respectfully going back to sleep.

Elise Nass is addicted to ramen and shopping for skincare online. When away from her laptop, she likes consuming YA and contemporary fiction.

Kaitlyn Newport is a die-hard Swiftie obsessed with all things reading and chai tea lattes.

Hope Neyer has a dead spider in her pocket.

Lia Patentas says hey from 4,285 miles away! i miss u a lot! (yeah, u!)

Annie Przypyszny once wrote a love letter to D. B. Cooper for a high school creative writing assignment. She received a well-deserved A.

Sami Pye (taylor’s version) wants the world to know she’s looking for art jobs in the DC area.

Katherine Raiano knows which plants in the AU arboretum are edible.

Maite Ramos likes 2000’s rom coms and knitting, as well as statement earrings and therapy. Maite hopes to own a hairless cat someday.

Dori Rathmell is a senior studying environmental science and communications. She is also the co-director of PhotoCollective and the Communications Coordinator of AU Women in Science.

Nikolai S. Razumov is a traditional artist and writer from the Washington D.C. area. He primarily creates his whimsical works in the dark fantasy and horror genres. Scarlett Wedergren sees the world through her two-colored eye.

Olivia Wenke once got scammed trying to buy a squishmalllow at 4am but don’t worry after months of searching she finally got a real one.

Masthead

Editors in Chief Katie Meyerson Alexandra Kaiss

Art Editors Piper Hamm Mia Larson-Baldwin Art Assistants Katherine Raiano Elise Nass Anjoleigh Schindler

Photo Editors Emma Geer Lindsey McCormack Photo Assistants Sophia Slavin Ericka Martinez Eva Wallis

Poetry Editors Emilee Rae Hibshman Syd Smith Poetry Assistants Shelby Rose Hope Neyer Jamie Klinger McKenna Casey

Prose Editors Gracie Donovan Katt McCann Prose Assistants Charlotte Van Schaack Laisa Gastaliturris Creative Director Hannah Sjovold Design Assistants Emily Hanlon Ava Sheffler Mara Shepherd Abby Shumway

Copy Editors Natalie Flynn Sophia Olson Copy Assistants Juliette Ciullo Morgan Goldberg Prisca Afantchao Hope Jorgensen

Blog Editor Jinger Callwood Blog Assistants McKenzie Taylor Audrey Gunadi Christine Rong Anna Woodward

Community Outreach Coordinator Simi Singh