Search Our Writing:
Elijah and the Provision of the Wilderness
March 1, 2023 | Lukas Bacho SM ‘25
Though the season of Lent brings the drama of wandering the wilderness to the fore of our spiritual lives, the liminal state the desert represents never seems too far off. As I write this, I sit isolated in my dorm room with COVID-19, having taken my health for granted just days ago. Though my lack of symptoms and the low number of cases on campus are signs of how far we’ve come in three years, the to-go boxes piled up by my door and the KN-95 mask on my desk are grim reminders of what we all lived through if we were lucky. Yes, isolation has been a nuisance. But I’d be lying if I said this social fasting hasn’t provided welcome time to decelerate, catch up on work, and take stock of my life—this minor wilderness recalling other wildernesses, from the pandemic and even earlier, right in time for Lent.
Reflections on Wilderness This Lenten Season
March 29, 2021 | By Audrey Huang BR ‘21
I first heard about the season of Lent my freshman year at Yale. Beloved Jesus lived in the wilderness and was tempted by Satan for 40 days, I heard from the pews. Thus, we mimic His fasting, we ritualize mourning, and we teach our bodies to long for Easter celebration. We learn about wilderness through the pages of a book and spiritual disciplines, like children rehearsing escape plans during school fire drills.
Wilderness
Feb 24, 2021 | By Taylor Plett ‘21+1
What does it mean to be in the wilderness?
I spent a good hunk of 2020 moving between ranches in the Great Plains states—a near-nomadic stint of life in literal wilderness. It was an accidental metaphor for the world at large during a global pandemic. I can draw some parallels.
When Wonder Is Not Enough
Sept 14, 2020 | By Bradley Yam SY ‘20
It moves us not. Great God! I’d rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.
– Wordsworth, The World is Too Much With Us
With a pithy sestet Wordsworth summarizes the wonder of the wilderness wrapped in mythological glory: Proteus rising from the sea, Triton blowing his horn. Wordsworth wrote during the Industrial Revolution when the divisions between the civilized city and the natural wilderness became sharply defined.
Upcoming Events:
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Working Meeting
THURSDAY, APRIL 2ND, 6:15-7:50 PM
This week, we will work on writing and editing our drafts in community.
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Writing Retreat
SATURDAY, APRIL 4TH
We will be adjourning to Mystic to spend a day dedicated to making progress on our drafts.
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Final Draft Meeting at Elm
THURSDAY, APRIL 9th, 6:15-7:50 PM
Elm Institute
We will be polishing our pieces for the print edition.
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Final Draft Submission
THURSDAY, APRIL 16th, 6:15-7:15 PM
We will be polishing our pieces for the print edition.
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Publication Party
THURSDAY, APRIL 28TH
Come celebrate our Spring 2026 print edition: Mirrors!