Our vision for this year's issue of Wild and Free focuses on changes, on the evolution of our lives over the course of a day, a month, a year, or even many years. We set out to capture a sense of growth and change by organizing material into seasons. Within each section we have featured art, poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction that explore the depths of the human experience, and also its lighter moments of joy and fun. In these sections you will confront the withering of fall, the bitterness of winter, the hope of spring, and the joy of summer to match the seasonal shifts we share as a Walden community.
This year's contributions also feature microfiction, which are especially short stories written sometimes in as few as six words. In these works writers capture fleeting scenes, occasions, and even realizations that arise in the moments that define and give shape to our lives. You will also find longer works, such as one-act plays, that ask you to slow down your approach and to sit with the characters as the drama and conflict of their lives plays out in the following pages.
We thank all of the writers and artists who shared their work with us. It is your work and your voices that make this journal what it is, and it is those voices we want to celebrate now. We hope you enjoy this issue of Wild and Free.