Adrift in the Adult World

By Kevin Standifer

Fall 2007
Edited by Kevin Standifer

One of the more common illusions of childhood is that at some point, on the path to adulthood, all of the answers arrive into our heads, and we're prepared to charge into the complex world of grownups. This quarter's contributors to SWELL are here to tell you it's not so simple as that. The first and last pieces tell the personal stories of the respective authors— one a humorous glimpse into a life ruled by overwhelming tension, the other a poignant meditation on the loss of a parent and finding solace in what's left behind. Where our poet reflects on a childhood of watching Freaky Friday— itself a story in which the juxtaposition of carefree youth and adult responsibility is tweaked— one of our authors paints an uneasy but vivid portrait of a loved one's struggle with bipolar disorder. The character with the most dazzling lifestyle— a globe-trotting opera performer— is made painfully aware of the distance between success and happiness. Each of these works, even the most light-hearted, has uncertainty at its center; against the tide of personal hardship and the demands of culture, each character forges an identity.