When I was nine years old, I was gifted Fearless by Taylor Swift on CD for my birthday. The present had come after my younger sister and I spent many hours singing “Love Story” on our Wii karaoke game. After my babysitter played “White Horse” for me on her pink iPod shuffle one evening, I was hooked. I knew I had to hear more, and I formed a connection to Taylor Swift’s music that ultimately would last over a decade.

Ladies, gentlemen, and variations thereupon; sad folk of all ages. For years, we have waited for this moment with bated breath. We have checked the Twitter bots, read the gossip columns and fantasized about the random release of an album, Taylor Swift-style. Now, for the moment you’ve all been waiting for—Mitski has finally released her latest album, Laurel Hell.

Breaking out in the genre of fantasy literature is a grueling task, and I don’t believe many people would attempt to argue that point. In a genre that, whether or not deservedly, has been bogged down by expectations of tropes, to fight one’s way to the top not only in the area itself but in literature as a whole is next to impossible. Think of how many authors make it there, writing adult fantasy and standing out? Tolkien? Martin? What about the ones who remain in the shadows?

Over winter break, when I was stuck inside with COVID-19, I noticed on social media that the second season of Euphoria was about to start up. I had never seen the show, and I decided to catch up so I would be able to see what all the hype was about. I was not disappointed. It’s important to note, however, that this is just a review of Season One, and my thoughts on how that functioned—I’ve been keeping up with Season Two, and I have many thoughts about the way it’s been playing out, but those will have to be for another article once the season wraps up.

To write a story that revolves around a young person changing into an adult so gradually that one doesn’t even realize anything has changed until one day, when they wake up and look into the mirror to find a stranger staring back at them, requires time and skill beyond that of many authors.

I could start off this article, or this series of articles, talking about the little girl who moved across the country in pursuit of a music career only to become the music career, or about the woman who transcended genres multiple times, setting the bar for each as she went, or how that woman went from tiptoeing around stigmas and reputations to being fearless of anyone who came at her, but I’m not going to (even though I kind of just did).

In 2008, The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, rose to staggering popularity almost overnight. Well over 200,000 copies were sold in the first year, and over 800,000 in the first two years. Today, more than 64 million copies of the trilogy have been sold globally, and four movies were filmed based on the trilogy, grossing 2.9 billion dollars.

Senior history adolescent education major Elaina Alston has been a musician for several years, singing in high school chorus, formerly singing for a band in Rochester and now singing with her band here in Geneseo. When Alston first came to Geneseo, she was busy, and lost momentum musically, until one fateful day, when she posted herself singing a cover of a song on Instagram. For the first time, her friends here at Geneseo heard her singing voice. They began reaching out to her—people wanted to hear more.

In the wake of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Dune by Frank Herbert, we have seen a number of varying opinions on how the movie lived up to its source. Commercially, it has done well, earning enough revenue and positive press for Warner Brothers to greenlight its sequel set to release late 2023. Critically, it has earned an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.3 on IMDb, but that all ignores the largest, and potentially most important, question: Does Villeneuve’s vision for the desert planet of Arrakis fit the description in the book? Do the characters act and feel as they should? How did a book known for being difficult to immerse oneself in fit on the big screen? Well, it’s complicated.

Children’s literature and young adult literature share a particularly difficult, yet incredibly important, job in the world of writing. From Harry Potter to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, authors of the genre are tasked with creating a world interesting enough to keep young readers entertained, yet to not weave a plot so complex that it will lose their developing attention spans. 

Somehow, it’s a story of survival.

Kacey Musgraves has spent her entire career in music breaking boundaries and rules, both politically and musically. Getting her start in country music, a genre that has historically been conservative and narrow-minded, Musgraves has subverted the expectations of fans since her first record. With the release of star-crossed, Musgraves continues to bring light to sociopolitical and personal subjects that few have dared to discuss.