2/8/24
Dear Readers,

I felt a lot scurrying up the stairs to prod tonight: the singe of cigarettes in the air, the two-day-after (overmorrow) tinge of pain in my lower quads, the anticipated Trader Joe’s Chocolatey Coated Chocolate Chip Cookie Dunkers binge as we snack and work. I also felt scared; though I’d had a testrun last semester, this is the first time I’m “running the show,” so to speak. Despite calling this little backroom of 88 Benevolent my Wednesday (previously Thursday) home for as long as I’ve been at Brown, it definitely felt a little weird having to start the chitter-chatter instead of being able to revel in the amusing crossfire of it all. However, as the night is winding down, I must say that as scary as it was to walk up those stairs a couple hours ago, this group has a true knack for calming all the butterflies (or should I say moths?).

This week, our writers are facing their own fears. In Feature, the writer discusses how they use walking to deal with the weight of the world bearing down on them. In Narrative, one writer explores the fear and nostalgic beauty of first experiences while the other writer shares the kind of fears that were previously only shared with their diary. Meanwhile, one writer in Arts & Culture confronts the distress of separation explored in Past Lives, and the other one works on making the unease of silence a little more easy. Finally, in Lifestyle, we’ve got a Valentine’s themed crossword to help everyone get ready for the festivities (which can be scary, I suppose), and another writer hypothesizes about the best ways to make money based on your astrological sign—okay, I guess that’s not so scary :)

As shopping period comes to a close and we all need to face the fears of this impending semester (spring is always better, I swear!), I can think of no better way to escape than with our first edition. So take a moment today and get in the habit of spending your Thursdays with post-! I promise we’ve got an amazing, wonderful, fantabulous suite of issues coming this semester! Can’t wait to share them with you!

Kicking my feet for the next year of post-,
Joe Maffa
Editor-in-Chief