Editor’s Note

Dear Friends and Foes of Lyceum,

This semester marks the fifth year of Lyceum since its founding in 2018. Our goal is to bring the sciences and arts together through literary mediums, drawings, paintings, photographs, and other forms. All submissions come from the creative minds of Kenyon students, staff, and alumni, who time and time again have impressed us with their ingenuity. This semester, Lyceum welcomes a wave of new contributors, namely from the Class of 2026. We are proud to see such a great expansion of students involved in the artistic science community of Kenyon.

From an absurd comic about the terrors of Kenyon’s raccoon population to an essay on the reason we fear sea monsters; from the intersection of orchestration and experimentation to a visual proposal on how to rework our waste system; this issue explores the monsters we face in real and imagined worlds. While it can be discouraging to witness a world riddled with climate crises, political unrest, and a lingering pandemic, we can help each other by finding community. We hope that this issue provides you with consolation, laughs, and wonder.

We are incredibly proud to present this issue. It is because of all of our contributors, editors, designers, and supporters within the Kenyon Community that this magazine is possible. Our deepest appreciation to all of you. We hope you love this collection of works as much as we do.

Birds learned to tweet long before we did: Fitness benefits for tutor songbirds by Lara O’Callaghan..................................................................................................24 Mother Nature by Fernanda Contin.......................................................................................27

Wounded by Gabby Rachman

The Invader by Jillian D’Herin..................................................................

Forest Trolls by Sofia Elizarraras...............

She says “I’ll only immediately help you when you’re a danger to yourself or others.” by Halle Preneta.........................................................................................................36 you shadow knows everything you don’t by Shelly Kahn.......................................................38