Editor’s Letter – Opus

Editor’s Letter

Opus saw an incredible amount of growth this semester. Our magazine reflects the time and effort of a large community of Hope College student-artists. We received submissions from 53 artists, and published here are 19 poets, one prose author, and 17 visual artists. We received a record-breaking number of submissions: 94 poems and 84 visual art pieces! We were delighted to welcome more students to our meetings. We had four contributors this semester — students who visited at least three Opus meetings — and we were happy to see many more students who showed up to at least one meeting. We loved hearing from a variety of voices and generating great discussion about submissions. Thank you to everyone who showed up to meetings — no matter how much time you were able to spend with us. That being said, we want to issue a special thanks to our editors, all of whom were brand-new and impressed us with their flexibility, understanding, and commitment to Opus.

Published here are pantoums, riddles, and sonnets; you will find poems reflecting on body image, medical struggles, and fine art. Our visual art ranges from photography to digital art to sculpture. These works reflect the diverse and immense creative talent of the Hope student body, and we are honored to give it a home in these pages.

Thank you for your hard work, your submissions, and your presence at our meetings. We cannot wait to do it all again next semester!

Adriana Barker & Violet-Rose Peschiera

Awards

The Editors’ Choice award is selected as an outstanding piece in the issue by the current Co-editors of Opus. This year, the award goes to “In the Kitchen at the End of March” by Claire Buck. We love the unique imagery in this piece, from the personification of the onions to the image of a glove re-knitting itself into a flower. Thank you for submitting your poetry this year, we have enjoyed seeing you grow as a poet over the years.

The Feature Piece is an award that celebrates the talent and craft of an underclassman artist or writer. This year, the award goes to Hannah Grace Swanson for her printmaking work. We love the colors and textures in her “Gradient” pieces and the balance she created in her abstract pieces “Wild Blue” and “Last Hope.” We can’t wait to see what you do in the future.