"The beauty of impossible dreams is that they are impossible- the hows and whens don't really matter.”

~Tracy Rees

To pursue a chimera is to embrace contradiction: The fire of aspiration burning fervidly, mitigated only by the tragically candid knowledge that some dreams exist just beyond our grasp. This year's contributors dove into this paradox with striking nuance, interpreting "Chimera" as a great inner turmoil, a towering obstacle to overcome, or a hauntingly wide chasm between the mind and reality. Some even saw it reflected in the world around us, societal constructs that shimmer like mirages on a distant horizon.

Some framed it as a call to action, others as an elegy for longing itself. Within these pages lie artworks scrutinizing unfathomable concepts and writings that travel deep into the trenches of the human psyche. Yet collectively, they ask: What do we gain by reaching, even when we cannot hold? Perhaps through the very act, we discover not the dream itself, but who we become in its pursuit.

This publication presents no answers, but rather a mirror. Like the myth that inspired our theme, these works are powerful, multifaceted, and glow in their imperfections, giving voice to eternal tension. May it ignite reflection on the chimeras that drive us, and the beauty of striving in their shadow.

Jayden Hernandez