Editor's Note

Dear reader, Do you hear that noise, somewhere off in the distance? It’s tough to make out, but I think it might be the sound of your favorite weekly magazine roaring back to life. If you thought a pandemic could browbeat us into submission, you were way wrong: Our writers remain scattered across the globe, the doors of 14 Plympton St. are still locked, and our wordplay hasn’t improved — but we’ll be damned if that stops us from bringing you your favorite magazine of longform, essays, and satire. It feels good to be back. JCA anchors this issue with a beautifully rendered, meticulously reported scrutiny on her time at the (virtual) 2020 Revoice Conference, a gathering of “same sex attracted” evangelical Christians advertised by leaders of Harvard College Faith and Action. Revoice, which has built its brand on “inclusivity” and “self love,” aims to offer an affirming space within a church often hostile to the queer community — but for some, its ideology resembles “a softened form of conversion therapy.” JCA writes with empathy and grace, interrogating the conference’s ideology, HCFA’s posture towards the LGBTQ+ community, and her own experience with Christianity and queerness. This is not a scrutiny you will want to miss. But that’s not all: MNW speaks with a Harvard-affiliated doctor designing an app to address the “shadow pandemic” of deteriorating mental health. NBF and MFXE explain what life looks like for first-years on campus — and MVE and VFT do the same for those who have chosen to take classes remotely. FYH and VEP profile two students leading an effort to connect college students with seniors isolated by the pandemic-imposed restrictions on nursing, SSL looks back on the life of Richard T. Greener, Harvard’s first Black graduate, and MGK closes the issue with a beautiful endpaper about dropping her younger sister off at college. Still stuck at home? Perfect — FM isn’t going anywhere either. Yours, AWDA + NHP