Welcome to the Other People Literary Magazine’s fourth issue, Refraction. With pandemic restrictions loosening, Other People returned to campus in 2022 and worked hard to bring together these pieces from the powerful, diverse artistic community at our university. As the academic year draws to a close, we are thrilled to once again showcase UCSD’s wonderful and talented creators in a brand new collection. This blend of prose, poetry, and visual art is just a fraction of the gorgeous work that we received, and the team is honored to share this celebration of creation with you.

Refraction. Like a prism scattering light, or a mirror shattering a reflection, art fractures the self. Truth is divided and scattered through the creative medium as old truths are re-examined and new truths are brought to light. In this issue, our artists turn towards themselves and the world around them and contemplate their truths. Their work reflects their confrontations with identity, love, and life itself as they piece together fragments into an imperfect but achingly real whole. We chose this theme to highlight the individual and collective truths that each artist brings to the magazine. Our artists proclaim who they are and what they believe through prose and poetry, through color and texture, through light and shadow. We hope that this collection can be its own light reflecting and refracting through our reality.

Our fourth issue owes its existence to many people. We would like to thank our editorial team for their work with our published submissions and our design team for their artistic skill and keen aesthetic eye. We would like to thank our excellent advisor, professor Lily Hoang, for her invaluable guidance, and the venues that hosted our many fundraisers for their hospitality. And we would like to thank all who submitted work and revealed their truths to us. This year, we received the most submissions that this magazine has ever seen. We are so grateful for everyone who contributes to and supports Other People, and we look forward to continuing our growth alongside the UCSD undergraduate community. As you begin Refraction, we hope that our artists’ truths speak to you and that you resonate with them as you, perhaps, find a facet of yourself within these pages.

— Olivia Hwang, Isaac Kopstein, and Montanna Harling.