Editor's Note

Hello, reader!

Here at FM, we think categories are a little silly. This may come as a surprise, seeing as our magazine is largely based on content categories. They’re useful, of course — but non-essential at the end of the day. That’s why, for our 2019 Year in Review issue, we’ve chosen a theme that allows us to lean both into and away from categories. Welcome to: The Boundaries Issue.

The pun was unfortunately too irresistible to pass up, so we’ve crammed these glossy pages chock-full of content that pushes, explores, breaks, and affirms boundaries. We chatted with a host of people whose work explores boundaries in some way or another, whether they’ve broken down barriers in their field or pushed the borders of academic disciplines. And some of our writers have turned inwards, reflecting on the limits that they experience and surpass in their own lives.

The most literal boundaries in this issue are perhaps ecological — seawalls and the perimeter of Arnold Arboretum, courtesy of MHM and TTJ, respectively. JED pivots to the digital world with an investigation of students who upload college admissions reaction videos to YouTube. AKEC talks to accepted students in her reported essay exploring emotional labor in affinity groups. We invite you to explore — and, if you’d like, expand the boundaries of your own mind. Get it?

Yours in high-gloss print,

NMM & ALS