Welcome back, folks! The Dilettante took a brief, unplanned hiatus, but who can blame us? We’re watching the world end, and we sit as it burns around us. Be kind to yourself.

The theme of Edition 6 is: water. I’ve been thinking a lot about water lately, which I guess makes sense for a resident of New Orleans. As I write this, on June 5, 2022, it is officially five days into hurricane season. Just over a year ago, I watched Hurricane Ida plow through New Orleans from my AirBnb in New York, which I was visiting for the orientation week of my Master’s program. On Thursday of that week, the New York City subways flooded as Ida passed through the northeast, flooding basement apartments and Jersey townships. I sat in the window of my home for the week, soaking in the ability to crack open a window and smoke out of it, looking down at the street through the steel bars of the fire escape, watching the rain beat down. It’s as if She said, you can run but you can’t hide. She demands to be heard. 

As a Cancer, I feel inherently connected to water, especially the ocean. It’s a cliché, I know, but I can’t deny my truth. After my first break up, when I was 16, I walked into the ocean fully dressed on a brisk October afternoon. I dreamt of becoming Ophelia, but I talked myself back to reality, luckily for all of you. But there’s something undeniably powerful about the water; it’s pulling me home.

I want to know what water means to you. Perhaps it’s death, rebirth, baptism, growth; whatever it is, let us know. All forms of written and visual media are accepted. Please complete this form to share your submission with us!