Nina Claflin - EIC
Dear reader,
I’ve planted roots in many places throughout my life. I grew up in the (then) small area of West Seattle, taking trips to the beaches and parks that surrounded my parents’ house. I went off to summer camp for weeks at a time, where I had my first sense of what it felt like to be on my own. I moved to Bellingham and lived in the dorms surrounded by the activity of others constantly. Then to my current home: a small house on Garden Street with floors so creaky I know what my steps will sound like before I walk.
But I’ve realized something over the years: it’s not the places themselves that made these places home to me, it’s the feelings, people and experiences that came with them.
I can still hear the sound of my dad’s voice calling for breakfast on weekday mornings before school, and the sound of my mom waking me up on weekends before a shopping trip. I can still sing all of the tunes I sang at summer camp during nightly bonfires. I can still smell the scents of the old dorm lobby where my friends and I spent late nights working on homework, and I can hear the sounds of my three roommates visiting in our living room while a TV show plays quietly in the background.
We all come from different walks of life, and home means something different to each one of us. I had the honor of seeing this displayed in our staff of writers this quarter while working as the editor-in-chief of Klipsun’s 2023 Spring edition: Home. I saw this talented group reach not only into their hearts to create something beautiful, but also extend themselves into the community and beyond to display this theme through their work.
I also had the pleasure of leading an incredible group of editors, who spent hours working hard to make this magazine as beautiful and as strong as possible. I could not have done this without them.
As you read, I hope these stories inspire you to think about what this theme means to you. Whether that be a person, feeling, place or simply an activity that makes you feel at home.
Warmest regards,
Nina Claflin
Finding value at any size
My journey from being affected by fat shaming in elementary school to adopting radical self-love in college.