poetry, fiction, essays, interviews, translations, music, visual arts

Spring 2023

Art


Lost and Found by Elyse Yost
Interlaced by Elyse Yost

Fiction


The Man Who Couldn’t Fly

By Annie Johnson

The Old Gods

By Elyse Yost

Grape Jolly Ranchers

By Annie Johnson

Meet You at the Mailbox

By V. Amador

The Witch and the Queen

By Ava Fischer

Creative Non-Fiction


I’m Only Sleeping

By Claire Taylor

The Batman of Davis

By Elliot Russel

Poetry


Maybe the Man in the Moon is Real

by Morgan Acord

The Life of a Tower Princess

By Sophia G.S.

Little Red Wagon

by Shannon Abbott

Parent to Child

by Leo V. Kaplan

Moores Park

by Claire Taylor

In the Palm of my Hand

by Sophia G.S.

Sonnet for What’s Between the Lines

by Phoenix Alarcio

Sonnet for Night Walks

by Shannon Abbott

May I Offer You a Rose

by Zoe Gurney

From the Editor

We are very excited to present this year’s edition of The Cauldron. After three years of non-physical editions, setbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and a multitude of other factors, we are back in your hands. That is, provided you’re currently reading the physical copy and not the digital edition. It is somewhat stripped-down compared to years past, but it is here, and it is yours.

The amazing artwork on the covers of this edition was submitted by Elyse Yost. The front cover piece is titled “Interlaced” and the back cover is titled “Lost and Found.” While putting this edition together, we were faced with the challenge of organizing many wonderful yet distinct pieces of literature. How were we to assemble these into a cohesive magazine, with clear lines of thought? Well, here is guide to the forty-second edition of The Cauldron, as well as some insight into our thought process:

We start off with a series of proclamations, “I want” “I want” “I want.” With these strong beginnings, we intended to shine a light on the desires of those around us. What has the world prevented us from taking and enjoying for ourselves? How have many of us been denied the rights and privileges afforded to others? Strength in the face of adversity, resistance, and rebellion opposed to the weight of the world which threatens to crush us. I like to think of our first several pieces as the grievances of our generation.

With “This Story is Unavailable” and “Silence at 3am,” we move to the transitioning section of the edition. “Pondering” is how I would best describe this movement. What fascinating things do sleep and dreams bring us? What fantasies have played out in our minds? What curious events have we witnessed?

Our final segment opens with “Little Red Wagon.” Here, we have absorbed all of our previous experiences. We have raged and cried and wondered, and now we will hope. We will hope for love and curiosity and that the injustices of the world may one day be washed away. This year’s edition of The Cauldron closes with the poem “May I Offer You a Rose.” And though you will soon have the opportunity to read it yourself (or perhaps you skipped ahead and have read it before this preface), I would like to share a couple lines from this delightful piece:

“We embrace life. We embrace community. We work to embrace ourselves.”

These are the final words I would like to say to all those who have been so thoughtful as to pick up a copy of this edition: Remember that we are all on this little rock hurtling through space.. There are many who have come before us, and there are many who will come after. But you are here now, so enjoy every moment you can. Love yourself. Love your friends. Love your enemies. We have to live together, after all.

Thomas Hole,
Editor-in-Chief

Awards

Divine Crow Awards

The Divine Crow Awards are given each year to three exceptional pieces in The Cauldron. A writer from the extended Kalamazoo community judges the pieces blindly.

This year’s judge is Sofía Aguilar, a first generation college graduate and recipient of many awards for creative writing. She currently works as a freelance journalist operating out of Los Angeles.

The recipients of this year’s Divine Crow Awards are:

Stephanie Vibbert Award

The Stephanie Vibbert Award is given to one work which exemplifies the intersection between creative writing and community engagement. This award honors Stephanie Vibbert, a senior English and Psychology double major who died in a car accident returning from a peace march in Washington D.C. in 2003. Stephanie’s life was passionately devoted to both creativity and community service. This award was created to encourage Kalamazoo College writers to use their creativity to reflect upon and explore issues of poverty, human rights, sexual orientation, race, class, gender, and cultural diversity.

The recipient of this year’s Stephanie Vibbert Award is “May I Offer You a Rose” by Zoe Gurney.

Staff

Co-Editors-In-Chief

  • Thomas Hole
  • Phoenix Alarcio

Submissions Editor

  • Greta Salmun

Secretary

  • Hannah Durant

Editors

  • Keegan Sweeney
  • Lana Alvey
  • Gi Salvatierra
  • Ana Garcia
  • Sofia Rowland
  • Iris Chalk
  • Fiona Schaffer
  • Hannah Durant

Staff Advisor

  • Dr. Andy Mozina

Acknowledgements

Thomas would like to acknowledge and extend his gratitude to:

Everyone who submitted pieces for this new era of The Cauldron.

Phoenix Alarcio, my co-editor-in-chief and wonderful teammate.

Liz Candido, for allowing us to unveil the cauldron in Stetson Chapel this year as in years past.

Jon Collier, Carolyn Zinn, and Debra Stevens, for helping us to resurrect The Cauldron in physical and digital form.

The entirety of the cauldron staff, who have stuck with me despite communication and scheduling troubles.

Sofía Aguilar, for combing through submissions to choose this year’s winners.

And you, the readers. I mean it. Thank you.