It’s 2025, and this is 14th Street magazine’s 41st year in print. President Donald J. Trump is in the White House; we’re on the brink of an economic depression and conservatives are accusing Lady Gaga of being a devil worshipper again. We’ve never been so over, but so back at the same time.
When our staff met at the beginning of this semester, the only way we could sum up the state of the world was: garbage fire. Everything is a garbage fire. The world sucks right now, and there’s no cheery way of saying that. How do we best represent that? There are people getting unjustly burned, there’s some with a fire hose, while others are trying to make the most out of it while they can.
This year, 14th Street is broken up into three sections: Shitshow, Shameless and Sillies. We’re exploring how much the world sucks, how people are fighting back, and also some fun articles to make us feel better. Shitshow is everything that’s wrong, Shameless is everything that’s right and Sillies, well, that’s self-explanatory.
I’d like to first give a huge thank-you to my creative director, Lyndsey, as this magazine would not look as sick as it does if it wasn’t for her. Every incomprehensible creative direction I wanted to take with this she executed in a way that I didn’t think was possible. I also would not have been able to do this without my insanely hardworking editors, and the wealth of ideas my staff provided. This magazine holds a piece of each and every one of our team.
Now is the time to celebrate creativity and collaboration. Now is the time to work together with your community and take care of your own. I hope that part of my legacy will be left in this magazine, but I hope the world doesn’t go to shit before I can even build my legacy.
When the world is on fire you can put it out, light a cigarette on it or both. I guess that’s what we were trying to say with this magazine.
Sincerely,
Gianna Voges
Editor-in-chief
