Issue 31 • February 2020
Love is Love
A Love Within the Stars
To feel that which cannot be seen or heard,
It is to fear a loss within the stars.
The lights to which we turn to be assured,
A darkness which will leave a tender scar.
I wander ‘til my heart is found anew
And with some hope, I wait on borrowed time.
But hope dies quick upon my finding you,
For dreams inside so rarely fall in line.
A fallen star, a faded dream, cling on.
The light which has no source cannot go off.
I fear not that which my eyes fall upon,
The face of the blue sky I see so oft.
If fate spells out the story in the night,
I pray it burns so bright, my dear hope’s light.
By Caroline Samoluk, Brooks School
Letter from the Editor-in-Chief
Dear Readers,
For this issue, the editors and I decided to take a dive into the topic of love. Since the beginning of this year, we’ve wanted to explore the different aspects of love, and more specifically, how it relates to the LGBTQ+ community. The topic felt fitting to explore during February, the month of love.
This issue means a lot to me, as a queer woman, because not many publications share the experiences of LGBTQ+ people. For me, seeing other students share their stories and advice is empowering. Being able to hear the voices of different people allows us to better understanding ourselves and our place in the communities around us. Representation is important. In an age, where media is slowly beginning to diversify, the stereotypes that were once perpetuated by the same television shows and movies need to be confronted. One way is to listen to the experiences of the people around us and not letting a singular narrative define a community. As Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie says, the danger of a single story is “showing a people as one thing, as only one thing, over and over again, and that is what they become.” The problem with stereotypes is not that they might be untrue, but they are incomplete. They make one story the story.
There is power in storytelling. Who tells the story, how they tell the story, and how many stories are told are dependent on power. Stories have been used to demonize and dispossess, but stories also have the ability to empower and repair broken dignity. She ends with the thought that “when we reject the single story, when we realize that there is never a single story about any place, we regain a kind of paradise.”
I hope that when you read this issue, you can appreciate the diversity of experiences that this issue contains. Whether it is familial, romantic, or platonic love, love expresses itself in different ways for each of us. Maybe by reading the experiences of others, we can better define the role of love in our life. With essays about loving yourself and self-acceptance to the 10 important moments in queer history, this issue covers a wide range of topics. Many writers and contributors took the risk of being vulnerable in sharing their experiences. With that in mind, I ask that you allow yourself to listen to the stories they share.
Along with Humans of the Tavern, Ten Thoughts, Survey, and Monthly Special, this issue contains a special section: Letters to the Love Guru. Students from our various schools had the opportunity to submit their questions to be answered by the Love Guru. Because of the sheer amount of questions we received, more questions and answers can be found on our Instagram: @thetavernpaper.
Enjoy,
Grace Li, Milton Academy '20
Editor-in-Chief
The Tavern 2019-2020 Editorial Board
Brooks School: Audrey Chung
Groton School: Claire Lee
Milton Academy: Erinma Onyewuchi
Northfield Mount Hermon: Ayleen Cameron
Phillips Academy Andover: Gayatri Rajan
Phillips Exeter Academy: Emma Reach
St. Mark's School: Katie Park
Tabor Academy: Charlotte Gebhard