A Letter From the Editor
Rebecca Champagne
Ph.D. Candidate, Ecology and Environmental Sciences
University of Maine
Welcome to the sixth issue of Spire! We are excited to share with you a variety of submissions including photography, poetry, art, and personal stories. We are pleased to announce Rachael Murphy as the winner of our cover art contest. Her art series, ‘Interactions in Maine Landscapes, Woodcut Prints’ combines realistic imagery with abstract patterns to display personal interactions with the Maine landscape. In this issue you will find nature-themed poetry, stunning wild bee photography, one author’s way of storytelling through resilience, and a discussion on capitalism’s role in climate change.
These past two years have been challenging for us all, but I continue to be inspired by Spire’s readers and their dedication to the journal’s vision and mission. Many thanks to editorial board members Paloma Henriques, Logan Kline, Dominic Piacentini, Meaghan Bellavance, Rafa Tasnim, Cheyenne Hebert, and Alexandria Miller for their commitment to Spire and for providing such thorough and thoughtful reviews. Thank you as well to our faculty director Dr. Dan Dixon and to co-editor in chief Clinton Spaulding for your continued support and insight.
It has been an honor to serve as editor in chief for the fifth and sixth issues, but as I complete my PhD it is time to pass the torch. I am delighted to announce that Dominic Piacentini, PhD Candidate in Anthropology and Environmental Policy, will be serving as Spire’s next editor in chief. Dominic has been a member of our editorial board the past two years and I have no doubt that he will do an amazing job continuing Spire’s vision and mission.
All the best,
Rebecca Champagne
Editor in Chief