Note from The Editors

This year, Fresh Writing celebrates 25 years of exemplary first-year student writing!

When Fresh Writing started as a print publication in 2000—a time the authors of this current volume can only imagine—we had just survived Y2K, Destiny’s Child topped the music charts, Sims became many of our first experiences of virtual reality, and Survivor and Big Brother launched us into the era of reality TV. In the intervening years, technology, culture, and politics have radically changed. What has remained is a need to make sense of our world through reflections on the past, examinations of the present, and projections into the future.

Many of our contributors invite us to reassess the past through explorations of historical moments, traditions, and places; analyses of significant works of art and literature; and reconsiderations of our own personal histories. In essays about WW II military strategy, the history of Isle Royale national park, and the formation of the pioneer persona in Great Smoky Mountains literature, authors deeply examine how narratives about our histories have been fashioned and refashioned. Authors also turned to the arts to gain insights into the past that can inform our present understandings of life, love, and faith. Essays on romantic love and kinship in James Baldwin’s Another Country, faith in Walt Whiman’s free verse, and representations of women in pre-1700’s French literature highlight the enduring value of literature and essays on gender expression in a Rococo painting and social commentary and protest in portraits turn to the impact of fine art. Some of our authors explore history through a more personal lens by exploring family history, personal growth, and coming to terms with their own name.

The present is no less complex than the past. From tipping culture to the trad wife social media trend and the role of mechanical engineering in green energy to TikTok’s influence on teen girls’ body image, authors take inspiration from their current lived experiences to learn more about cultural phenomena. Contemporary art gets a treatment in an exploration of Christ-figures in European cinema. College is also a time to explore who one is and what is important to themselves, such as identity labels, lessons from adjusting to a new country, the joys of ice cream for dinner and wired earbuds, or wisdom from a sibling.

Finally, our authors contend with the future. In essays on the opportunities of a new major and how best to support Latinx students, authors imagine new futures right here at Notre Dame. Others go further afield to consider the need for new agricultural practices. Whatever the future holds, the work of all our authors offers us hope for the future generations.

Our McPartlin and Raclin Murphy award winners also reflected on the past, present, and future in a diverse and exciting range of essays. McPartlin winners uncovered the historical connections between graverobbing and current trends in organ donation, advocated for more sustainable water consumption at Notre Dame, and unpacked the different messages a single photo can convey to multiple audiences. This year, we opened up the Raclin Murphy Museum Writing Competition to anyone writing about art for the first time. First-year winners of the Raclin Murphy Essay Writing Competition tackled 18th century landscapes and contemporary sculpture and we are excited to share their work here.

This collection of essays reminds us that the past, present, and future blur together, reinforce and shape one another, and repeat themselves. What we see here is the value of working through the complexities of life to gain deeper understandings of ourselves and others.

We are excited to share the inspiring work of the authors of this 25th volume of Fresh Writing!

Sincerely,

Whitney Lew James and Elizabeth Capdevielle, Co-Editors, Fresh Writing