I joined Buzzsaw at the beginning of my sophomore year of college. As things began to return to normal after a strange, COVID-y start to my college career, I realized I was craving a space to write creatively in. Some of my best memories in high school occurred in our literature magazine’s meetings. A bunch of kids who were a little too into AP Literature class discussions would sit atop desks and read out anonymous writing from classmates to form a magazine filled with edgy teenage poetry. I knew I needed that again. So when my friend Ananya told me about Buzzsaw, I immediately agreed to tag along with her to the first meeting of the year.
It’s cliche, but it’s cliche for a reason- I often find myself writing to make sense of the world I exist in. It’s no surprise to anyone to hear that college is a time of immense change, self-growth, and perspective-building. I experienced so many things I needed to write about- first kisses, personal breakthroughs, devastating romantic and friendship breakups, beautiful romantic and platonic relationships, and so much more. At the same time, I was making sense of my queer identity after years of having to repress it. I needed to learn how to claim my agency as a queer person and understand what my identity meant to me. I would not have made it through any of these things without writing about them, and Buzzsaw provided me a place to publish that writing. So many of the people I have worked with at Buzzsaw are just like me- young people with a craving to make sense of culture, media, and their personal experiences- and that is what makes it a special place. Buzzsaw has taught me how to be a better writer, and reader, and has inspired me endlessly.
I will be forever grateful to Buzzsaw for giving me a place to be raw and weird in my writing. I have never felt ashamed to submit my work, and that’s really all a writer can ask for. I have loved all of the sections I’ve written for, but Prose & Cons has been an especially meaningful space for me to publish the creative work that I have written during my time in college. I have adored reading everyone’s work as an editor this year- this magazine is full of incredible writers who promise Buzzsaw a bright future. I am so excited for Maddy and Simcha to take over Prose & Cons next year and I have no doubt that they will continue to make it a great section to write for.