Like most of us know, the pandemic has affected virtually every aspect of normal life as we know it, from work to school to eating in a restaurant.

Baldwin Wallace students know the effect that the pandemic has had on the university, and one of the joys that alleviate the stress, pandemic related or not, has always been the annual release of “The Mill”, the university’s literary journal.

However, even “The Mill” has been impacted by COVID-19 in small ways. Last year saw a surge of submissions, and this year is no exception. Because of the usual online submission process, the pandemic hasn’t affected that aspect.

However, the Selection Committee has had to keep their meetings exclusively in Zoom. Michael Garriga, advisor of “The Mill” as well as English professor, says that one of the unfortunate circumstances of the pandemic is the cancellation of last year’s release party. However, Garriga says to watch out for the 2022 release party, saying, “it’ll be epic!”

Selection process for stories has started, and there is an impressive amount of submissions. Selection is arduous, as the journal is highly competitive, and takes weeks by the Committee to complete. “Ultimately, I’m sure this year’s edition will be fantastic. We have excellent writers and artists at BW, and every issue has been outstanding,” said Garriga.

“I’d put ‘The Mill’ up against any undergraduate journal in our nation, and I’ve seen dozens and dozens of undergrad journals,” Garriga continued,  “It’s the thing I’m most proud to be associated with here at BW.”