Élan's Fall Online Edition's accepted pieces have been some of the most unique and beautifully written pieces I have seen in Élan. My personal favorite pieces are all about human connection, and new change.
The cover of Élan, Hidden Look by Britney Garibay, strays from our usual covers over the past few issues. Over the last several issues, faces and portraits have always dominated the cover of Élan; yes, they are eye-grabbing, yes the pieces are beautiful, but Élan had gotten into a rut of staying safe. With Hidden Look I believe that we have taken a step towards change. This art piece is something different from previous covers, but it still has an interesting eye-grabbing effect to it. The hands arrange themselves to create a face, which is hitting back to what we are used to almost. I feel like this piece is an amazing way to start choosing different and unique issue covers in the future.
For written pieces accepted into Élan, I have a few pieces that hold a special place in my heart like: "Ars Poetica" by Esther Sun; "Portrait with House" by Marin Hart; "In Which I Try to Explain to my Grandmother Why I Don't Call" by Sofia Miller; "forgot again" by Katlynn Sherman. But the one that struck me the most was "Ars Poetica" by Esther Sun because of the connections that is has with poetry, writing, and the writer themselves. The descriptions that are used connect the writer to their art with lines like "Soil & stones clumping under my fingernails," and, "Shows me where to find the softest moss..." These details create a scenery that settles the reader into a story. This poem sets itself nicely into the book, but is also a piece that stands alone strongly.
- Luz Mañunga, Senior Layout and Design Editor