Dear Readers,

All summer long I’d been traveling on New England’s finest modes of transport: the MBTA’s Providence/Stoughton line and Boston’s Green Line. During my travels, the Green Line was only delayed about ten times, while the MBTA tracks caught on fire a mere two. So more accurately, all summer long I’d been waiting on and in New England’s finest modes of transport. In these interrupted moments of limbo, with only 200MB of data to spare, I was prompted to stare wistfully outside the scratched-up train window and think about how much our lives were spent in transit and the transitory. I’d then promptly fall asleep against the glass, usually waking up to find that I was no longer where my body thought I was. I found that I didn’t mind the sitting in stillness for another delay because I knew where I’d eventually end up. All summer long I traveled to Shanghai, Seattle, and yes, Providence, RI, toward the people I loved and the places holding them. 

In the first issue of post- (!!) this semester, our writers are also journeying. Ivy delves into the world of performative men in this week’s Feature article and discovers the ways in which we are all performative men deep down. In Narrative, Samaira considers the path that Love takes across her bedroom ceiling, while Mar goes to a museum in Amsterdam for a conversation with a stranger. Meanwhile, for the first A&C article, Sofie enters the virtual terrain of Roblox chat rooms to investigate how Gen Alpha is shaping the discourse on body image. In the other, Indigo writes a letter to Timothée-Chalamet-as-Bob-Dylan for the way his A Complete Unknown role helped her healing process after being sexually assaulted. In Lifestyle, Yana details her venture into trying coffee for the first time and how “coffee chats” have taken over Brown. And Jessica takes you across a whirlwind of departments, study spots, and dining halls in her post-pourri quiz to help you determine which concentration you really should be studying! Finally, check out Lily’s crossword this week, which transports you back to the 2016 (yet arguably eternal) Hamilton craze with a “Best of Wives and Best of Women” theme.

Now that I’ve returned to where home has been for the last three years (both Providence and post-!), I’m feeling so grateful that the Main Green and Coffee Exchange and 88 Benevolent St. are my frequent destinations. I’m even more grateful for the people who await me there. As you embark on your own odysseys, I hope you’ll pick up this week’s issue of post- to keep you company (especially if there’s, say, a three-hour MBTA delay)!

Nevertheless championing public transport,
Emilie Guan
Editor-in-Chief