Creation

By Abigail Giron Marroquin, Editor-in-Chief of Groundswell 2025

Groundswell is the University of Bridgeport’s art and literary magazine, dating back to the 1940s. I was grateful to have been given the opportunity to be Groundswell’s 2025 editor-in-chief, especially because I had enjoyed reading through the previous 2024 edition. From the 2025 edition, my favorite three pieces are an untitled photograph of the moon on the cover of the magazine by Keianna Brown, the poem “Nicky and Mikey" by Edival Rios, and the short story “The Helldiver’s Legendary Last Stand” by Felix Bonilla.

When designing the cover of Groundswell, I wanted to have a cover that is timeless and relatable. The moon is often a symbol of mysticism within different cultures from various time periods. It is something that is both close enough to know about but far beyond human reach. Keianna Brown’s photograph made me think about humans and their desire to know more about the world around them. About the ways in which people create religion from the moon. About the ways that the Earth needs the moon to exist as it does today. These thoughts were a reminder that the moon is something that can evoke wonder in all people, and, perhaps, it would evoke some kind of wonder in the reader.

“Nicky and Mikey” by Edival Rios is a poem that felt like a reminder of my love for stories. In Rios’s poem, the narrator reflects on his love for the film Nicky and Mikey by Elaine May. The last three sentences of the poem essentially state that there are harsh truths that one has to learn about the world, but media, such as film, can help bring that truth to one in a gentler way.

“It’s very hard to talk to a dead person. I have nothing in common.”

The universe spits this truth at me,

Ms. May you

wrapped it in a static blanket,

just a little easier to embrace.

 Of course, there are things that one will have to learn the hard way, through experience. But learning through film, through stories, helps ease the course of life’s learnings.

“The Helldiver’s Legendary Last Stand” by Felix Bonilla captures the intensity of living one’s final moments. We follow Kael as he is trapped in Malevelon Creek where he ultimately dies. What attracted me to the story the most was the way in which emotions of rage and pride are expressed by Kael. Though we don’t get insight into what happened to him, we see his final stand for what he believes in as he cries out “For democracy!” Kael’s desire for freedom is proclaimed until his dying breath. His death is not in vain as “His blood, spilled like oil, would fuel the fires of defiance.” The story is intense all the way until the end and kept me wanting to read more.

These pieces of art and literature made the hard work of editing Groundswell worth it for me. I appreciate all the submissions that were sent, used or not. They show that people want to create and have a voice they wish to share.

See these pieces -- as well as many more poems, art, short stories, and essays by UB students -- in the latest issue of Groundswell, available here.