Founded in the fall of 1991, Laurel Moon is Brandeis' oldest, national literary publication. Each issue we publish features original work from undergraduate students.
Entropy is defined as a lack of order or predictability, a decline into disorder.
In today’s world, we are hard-wired to stay productive and remain content, but what happens when the realities of life burden us? How do we crumble, who do we lean on, and how do we pull ourselves back together again?
For this issue, titled Entropic Tendencies, our writers address the multitude of ways we react when faced with hardship and heartbreak. They speak on painful relationships and their effects on self-esteem in “Sweet Nothing” and “Red-Hot.” They grapple with facing and reclaiming racist and homophobic rhetoric in “My Blackberry” and “How to Reclaim a Slur Without Naming It.” Writers express the alienation that comes with growing up in “Walgreens” and “Craving.” Interwoven in all of our pieces, there is a desperation for connection.
When we began reading the submissions that would become the pieces within this magazine, we did it alongside a talented writer, editor, and friend.
In this issue, writers have taken a magnifying glass onto what makes us crumble; stress, heartbreak, trauma, loss. In examining the tragedy that comes with these experiences, we also must elevate messages of hope, resilience, and love. Eli said it so beautifully when they said “Hold on tight to remember the truth.” In these moments of heartache, we must cling to each other, rely on each other, and show up for each other. Despite the earthly tendency towards disorder, it is our relationships with others that keep us moving.
Read on and hold tight to those you love, and those who love you.
Samara Miller and Eden Osiason
Editors-in-Chief