to: the Innis Herald

from: an obsessive reader with an unfortunately basic name

subject: Behold! a Love Letter. (because the Herald too deserves a happy valentine’s.)

january 17, 2025

dear Herald,

I hope you know how excited i am for this new edition. I have been silently enjoying your past two issues (i’m a first year — please don’t shoot me) and their at times sober, at times hysterical, and at times meditative content.

You may not be aware, but during these past few months, you have become my most cherished companion. In fact, i often find myself awaiting you, hoping for a new, fat, brilliant stack of hotly-printed, ink-scented newspapers to drop on my desk as i set things up for my shift at Innis Library. And when you do, when you finally make your long-anticipated appearance, i immediately take you up to feel you in my hands and examine the crisp body… of text (and illustrations, and images) begging to be unveiled by the public’s impatient eyes. 

The first time my gaze fell upon one of your open spreads — back in September when i was a terrified teen with my first ever real job (how time flies!) — i remember being greeted by a brat-green square of anthropomorphized creatures, random snippets of (barely) anonymous thoughts, and way too many details about the editor-in-chief’s personal life (written with extremely satisfying capitalization errors). Of course, i was instantly hooked. what???? You mean to tell me that students at this institution can just get together to work on publishing any and all of their silly stupid thoughts, and through the power of friendship and caffeine (i presume) produce an actual high-quality, professional-looking, printed newspaper? Unlike my ugly, online high school newspaper that i was absolutely responsible for and essentially gave up on in grade 12 because i’m nothing but a lazy bitch??

Ok. That one was maybe my fault. But this conclusion only further reinforces the admirable qualities of the entire Herald team. So really, although I began this letter by personifying the Herald in a strange and slightly horny way, one must not forget that all the names listed on that second page and those under each article title represent real breathing people!!! Who made the commitment to dedicate part of their time to the paper for a few hours of their year (or more)!!! Round of applause.

As i flipped through the pages of v60e1, this realization stuck with me. One second, i was frantically adding films to my watchlist, struck by the notion that a student had attended the press screenings; the next, i was planning a trip to New York, after learning about a random economist no one’s ever heard of (the article was great nonetheless). This was followed by lists of cultural recommendations and a glimpse into the fictional wor(l)ds of a few student writers. v60e2, likewise, delivered. The more i read, the more i felt compelled to contemplate the importance of student newspapers. Below are my findings (maybe the point of this letter after all).

Papers like the Herald provide quality writing: informative articles on real-life people and events, interspersed by opinion pieces from young adults able to speak to their like-minded peers in an enthusiastic, sometimes hilarious, and, more crucially, modern tone, along with insanely cool images and artworks. Papers like the Herald represent an outlet for all the rich ideas and pressing concerns of people our age. Papers like the Herald aren’t just delightful armchairs of relaxation; they constitute a vital part of the university ecosystem. Papers like the Herald are a breath of fresh air. Symbols. ‘Ironic points of light.’ The very existence of papers like the Herald proves that our generation is composed of bright, human, persistent beings, who do care — about life, the future, and others. They show that we are eager and willing, aka we have the heart and soul to put time and energy into things we care about.

[if you are familiar with ENG140: isn’t the Herald a pretty good and gorgeous example of the DIY ethic :P? s/o prof Hammond.] 

For my part, reading the Herald gave me a renewed energy to write. this letter, obviously, but also to take up my personal writing again. Academia can be daunting and lead to a drought of creative juices, but to see others take the time to write, draw, and photograph stuff is furiously inspiring! Over the past few weeks, i have therefore sharpened pencils, reopened long-abandoned docs and dusty notebooks, and even submitted some of my writing to a few student journals (#spooky). So far, my creative endeavours have included personalized letters to my pen-pal and other friends and loved ones; four new finished poems; and six diary entries. And i do believe that i’m not the only one to have felt such intense feelings of inspiration. Thank you for creating a muse.

In conclusion, to quote the Editor Sam, hot people read the Herald, and hotter people reflect on the Herald. (and the hottest people run the Herald, but that goes without saying.)

With love, 

chloe gong-miniere