As Editor in Chief of the Spring 2024 edition of The Manatee literary journal, I could not be more satisfied with the final product that is this magazine. This is the second year we have been able to bring The Manatee to print following our return-to-print in 2023 after the COVID-19 pandemic. With that being said, we have been most fortunate to bring this edition to fruition as a physical magazine rather than only a digital issue. I am beyond grateful for the passion and dedication shown by each of my editors throughout these past few months. They make up the crux of this magazine, and none of this would have been possible without their help. A specials thanks goes out to executive board members, Grace Frink and Liz Fraser, for their assistance and upstanding commitment to The Manatee. They are beams of light that can never be snuffed, and I see extraordinary things in their futures that follow. Though contributors were not required to write within the confines of any particular theme or aesthetic guideline, I believe each and every submission is imbued with a similar essence, one that caters to matters of the human heart and experience. From debilitating heartbreak, to tantalizing romances, lost loves, the search for the sense of self, the pursuit of happiness, and even frogs, I was astounded to find such common ground amongst the writers featured in this issue. Though each has a style of their own, the sentiments that each express through their work is inspirational, and I could not be prouder of them. To the advisor, Allison Cummings, I can’t begin to express my gratitude for your assistance throughout this process. You have been most helpful in all of your emails and during our meetings. Thank you for giving me the chance to take head on such a behemoth of a project, and for trusting me to make the executive decisions necessary to bring the 17th Edition of The Manatee to light
Keera MacKenzie (Mon,) studied this question.