PROGENITOR 2022
Arapahoe Community College
Letter From the Editor
Dear Readers,
Every person has their journey, their paths to take-the highs and lows, canyons and valleys-of life. Some days, it’s hard to choose a path or guess where the next adventure will lead you. This year we focused on the theme of individual journeys in a new and surreal world. I have had the pleasure of watching this journal form under the collaboration of two crews, made up of students from entirely different backgrounds, and each of us in our own part of our journey.
Our editorial crew had six people, each of us unique, and I truly loved getting to work with everyone. While many of us did not know each other at the start, by the end of this experience, we’ve all come to grow quite fond of one another (I think). Our crew had many different strengths in writing, and these were reflected in our main roles throughout the semester. Each person's opinion was equally important to our selection process of hundreds of pieces, and it was amazing to get the opportunity to read through such fantastic submissions. We were able to agree on and finalize submissions, but not without the occasional banter about dark poetry and love stories, or just how easy it is to mispronounce titles.
Our design crew had seven people from different backgrounds of illustration, graphic design and website design. While I only got to meet with this crew once a week, I loved working with them. Everyone had a different project and perspective, and brainstorming was so electric. There was never a dull moment, and I never imagined people could debate about fonts for so long. While everyone had different roles, no one was truly alone in either crew. We all worked together, laughed together, stressed together, and developed this journey, together.
Our crews had a hard time deciding where we even wanted to begin. The discussion began with a reflection of our society, how COVID-19 has affected people, and how we haven’t fully gotten out of the woods yet. Over the course of making this Progenitor, mask mandates were lifted at the college as a war in Ukraine began. The world has continued to shift, new issues arising, and old ones beginning to fade from people’s minds. The theme for this Progenitor was the result of back and forth, new ideas, and a desire for uniqueness. While unity is important, it’s also just as important to see individuals, especially right now. We wanted to represent how alone people may feel on their own journeys and paths, and how each journey can look and feel different.
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The journey throughout this edition can be followed on a map of the genres. Each genre has its own location, its own special place, just like the place that piece holds in the author’s or artist’s life. Art and the written word are essential parts of people’s lives, and it is so important to truly see the significance of them, and put them under the spotlight they deserve. It was so hard to sort through submissions this year, because whether accepted or not, that piece is incredibly important, and has its own place. The canyons of creative nonfiction curve around the beauty of the real world, and the way that reality can be weathering. The icy frozen depths of poetry show the way that something dangerous and cold can also be stunning. Dark, damp, dramatic caves bring out the light and dark edges of our world. A truly fascinating fictitious forest shows where there is dark, there can also be light, and the serenity of silence and solitude. Art and photography lies at the heart, scattered throughout the book, showing different beauties of life. While each of our genres’ locations do not necessarily represent every story, or the theme for every story in those genres, they add a fun twist, and a natural path to follow the flow of this edition.
Life is truly about the path that people take, and sometimes it doesn’t feel like the right path. Life is messy and full of unexpected circumstances. Nobody could have predicted the past few years and the future remains unknown. The smallest change in pathways can lead you to the most fantastic experiences. I was terrified to be editor in chief at the start of this edition. I’m just a STEM student who likes creative writing and enjoys team management. I thought I wasn’t cut out for my role or that this edition wouldn’t come out as good as it needed to. I was scared I couldn’t do my crews justice when they have done such a phenomenal job all semester. However, somedays, you just have to keep walking, and know that eventually the path you started on will take you to the most beautiful destinations.
The theme of life’s journey showcases the beauty of other worlds, and other perspectives that people have lived through can show through written word and art. I welcome you, Reader, to be immersed and begin your journey through the world of Progenitor Volume 57.
Viviana Nelson
Editor in Chief