WRITINGS FROM THE SCHOOL OF ENGLISH
Foreword: One Person’s Refuge is Another’s . . . It has been a strange season of refuge at Bread Loaf. California is only just beginning as Vermont is hitting its mid-point in the midst of a COVID outbreak, and Oxford is experiencing a record-breaking heatwave which is undeniably attributed to climate change. Many of us looked forward to verdant hills of retreat and hallowed halls of exploration, but as with all things, we have been met with reverie intermingled with more grating realities. The fallout of racial equity injustice has not been checked at the door. The individual desire still manages to trump community public health. And we continue to grieve losses like Uvalde, Highland Park, and Jayland Walker while mourning the passing of a beloved provost. We are poets, playwrights, writers, and artists. When the juxtapositions of life arise, we cannot help but peek behind the curtain. We examine. We pry. We tease open the wounds that try to heal because in that, we find ourselves. The selections you see here are writers who have sought refuge; not to run away, but to gather our giftings to point a mirror back on our society. We reflect what we see. We observe and create step ladders to alternate realities. We release the anguish by creating euphoria for the minds. I am so truly proud of the collection you are about to tuck into. We asked for a vast interpretation of how we find refuge in times like this, and you responded by creating an expansive cave of solace where hearts can weep and wail, grieve, and ultimately, celebrate.
Mina Leazer, Coeditor
SUMMER 2022 | 1
