BESIDE THE POINT 2025 Editors’ Statement There is not a single moment in which we are exactly the same as we were the moment before. No matter where we are in life, we all experience various challenges as we grow and change. The beautiful diversity and subjectivity of growing pains demonstrated by our contributors inspired us to create a journal that embodies these common threads of life. This year’s journal received more submissions than ever before, reflecting the persistent push to face the pains of growth. As editors, we valued the outpouring of emotion and vulnerability we found in these pieces. The privilege of working with them enabled us to evolve alongside the journal. We welcome you to join us on this journey, through the lives and experiences of a myriad of talented authors and artists. Edited by students in the Publishing course, Beside the Point receives prose, poetry, artwork, screenplays, and more from members of the Camosun community. Our theme for 2026 is BRINK, and we are excited to see how you interpret it. On the Cover “Inner Child” by Robin Carrico “Inner Child” is an illustration I made in high school after a therapy session where I had talked about how “sick with nostalgia” I often was. How it seemed that the feeling came from a sort of internal grief about losing the time and place in which little me felt at home. Going back to my childhood home or my old school won’t bring back that feeling, as it isn’t just a place but a time. So, the only place my inner child can feel that comfort is in my own mind. 3