Every piece in Élan deserves to be recognized for their ingenuity, intuition, and attention to craft. One such piece is “GG Explains It All” by Thaiyana Pittman. Thaiyana recently gave life to her words at the Jax by Jax student showcase. The language in this piece exudes life and a fondness for culture. The speaker elicits a sense of domestic intimacy. Throughout this piece, the reader learns along with the character. We grow closer to speaker, and gain an understanding of her heritage and the importance of her roots.

Another beautiful take on heritage come sin the form of the art piece Mexican from the Corazón by Britney Garibay. The two-spread piece depicts a woman gazing straight into the viewers eyes, her hair flowing to the side and fading into the flag of Mexico. The subject is stands unfaltering, embracing her identity as a part of her being. The colors in this piece are vibrant and lively, enhancing the subject. This piece is one that catches the eye and holds it prisoner. Mexican from the Corazón captures its viewers not just in its colors and composition, but in its roots in self-identity.

Élan is such a special place for art and writing to live for this very reason. Every artistic endeavor comes from a need for self-expression. Art is what ties the world to a common understanding. Élan is a place where young writers and artists can express their visions to the world. We long to give the youth a platform for their creations.

The Fall Online Edition of Élan is the first copy of Élan that I have helped produce firsthand. I am so delighted to be a part of the process that highlights fantastic works and recognizes their creator’s efforts.

–  Grace Brodeen, Senior Marketing Editor

Élan’s Fall Online Edition’s accepted pieces have been some of the most unique and beautifully written pieces I have seen in Élan. My personal favorite pieces are all about human connection, and new change.

The cover of Élan, Hidden Look by Britney Garibay, strays from our usual covers over the past few issues. Over the last several issues, faces and portraits have always dominated the cover of Élan; yes, they are eye-grabbing, yes the pieces are beautiful, but Élan had gotten into a rut of staying safe. With Hidden Look I believe that we have taken a step towards change. This art piece is something different from previous covers, but it still has an interesting eye-grabbing effect to it. The hands arrange themselves to create a face, which is hitting back to what we are used to almost. I feel like this piece is an amazing way to start choosing different and unique issue covers in the future.

For written pieces accepted into Élan, I have a few pieces that hold a special place in my heart like: “Ars Poetica” by Esther Sun; “Portrait with House” by Marin Hart; “In Which I Try to Explain to my Grandmother Why I Don’t Call” by Sofia Miller; “forgot again” by Katlynn Sherman. But the one that struck me the most was “Ars Poetica” by Esther Sun because of the connections that is has with poetry, writing, and the writer themselves. The descriptions that are used connect the writer to their art with lines like “Soil & stones clumping under my fingernails,” and, “Shows me where to find the softest moss…” These details create a scenery that settles the reader into a story. This poem sets itself nicely into the book, but is also a piece that stands alone strongly.

– Luz Mañunga, Senior Layout and Design Editor

I connect with this piece, specifically, for a lot of reasons. This piece revolves around a conversation from a grandfather to a grandson – that conversation, while important and logical – has lots of emotional ties as well. The grandfather utilizes metaphor in order to communicate not only his deep love for his grandson, but his wanting to pass on knowledge himself. I think these lines dictate everything:

“You are my blood, an extension/of my old life.”

The extension of an old life is something important for generations of families. In this moment, the grandfather was in such a tender moment with his grandson to reveal something like that. In my current point of life, I mainly live with my grandfather. I have experienced my fair share of lectures and tips on how to live a full life – as most grandparents give to their children – but the vulnerability of this specific grandfather strikes a different chord in my own relationship with my grandparents, giving way to an upheave of emotions I have yet to even comprehend. It is these complex emotions that initially got me interested in the piece and I hope to dive deeper into the study of these emotions and see what I can get out of it.

This poem, however, goes farther than just a grandfather talking to his grandson. This poem, hidden underneath the emotional conversation, houses themes such as loss and life; sorrow, and joy; pulling up, and bringing down. These themes have much more than meets the eye – they are the backbone of what’s actually making the poem emotional for the reader. This poem is about a tender moment between a grandson and a grandfather, yes, but this courageous work also lets the reader connect to moments that they themselves have experienced, thus making the poem so much more impactful.

“Every breath that you take/has a purpose.”

These two lines let the grandson know that he matters. That he has a purpose. That he isn’t a meaningless speck in the great universe – he means something. This specific phrase is something that so many people need to hear for themselves. It is important, it is necessary, and it helps the poem achieve even more intellectual integrity than it has already.

I connected with this poem because of my relationship with my own grandfather, but I stayed because of the deeper meanings it has layered underneath the heart-blistering conversation. I hope more people read this poem and think, for themselves, “What can I do to better myself? How can I continue the legacies those before me have worked so hard to build?”

– Jasper Darnell, Junior Layout and Design Editor